Anecdote to My Poison
by Darth Echo
Summary: Echo can no longer deal with the scars from her past as new wounds begin to appear. Her past love has returned to her in her dreams, and a poison threatens to destroy everything she holds dear. With her long-lost son's arrival and her loyalty questioned, Echo tries to cope with the story to her poison. (Echo of a Prime: Book II)
1. They're Just Dreams

**Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers or its characters. I do own my OCs: Echo, Cassy, Artemis, Bluespark, Iodine Maximo, Felidae, Silverwing, Darkblaze, Jetwing, Sharpeye, Donovan, Bluegear, & Red Kick/Redkick. I also want to note that this is the second book in the "Echo" series, so I highly recommend you checkout the first one before reading this. **

**Anecdote to My Poison**

**Chapter One: They're Just Dreams**

Echo sat on the medical berth, fixing a tool for Ratchet. The medic walked over to the femme, who was frowning as she worked. "And what has you troubled today?" he asked, typing into his computer to start the day's occupation. "Weird dreams keeping me up all night," Echo looked up, put down the wrench she was holding, and rubbed her sore neck.

"It's been a week, Echo," Ratchet scowled and looked to the femme with concern, "Do you need to talk about something." The Autobot shook her helm kept a casual look on her faceplates, "They're just dreams, Ratch." The medic resisted his gut feeling to press further and sighed, "Very well. But come to me if they start to affect your health."

"Got it," Echo gave the old bot a wink and a smile and handed him the object she was working on. "You fixed it?" he took it and inspected the fix job. "Yeah," the femme hopped off the berth and began walking towards the tunnel, "I heard you say you needed it for something so I thought I would touch it up."

"Be careful," the medic glared, "Or else I'll have to find a replacement mechanic." Echo laughed and shook her helm, "That would be unfortunate." She transformed and drove off, sending a ploom of smoke into the base. "She is a weird femme," Bulkhead said as he walked into the room, "I'll give her that." The Wrecker went over to where he keeps his lob-ball and picked it up.

"Are you and Bumblebee having another tournament?" Ratchet asked with a grunt. "Yep," Bulkhead answered, rolling the sphere in his hands, "Where is the mini bot?" The medic raised and optic ridge and muttered, "I don't know." Ratchet finished logging into the computer and turned to Bulkhead, "I'll go fetch him on my way to the supply room."

"Thanks, Ratch."

* * *

><p>"Bumblebee, open up," Ratchet knocked on the mech's door. He heard a soft beeped after a few seconds, <em>"Come in." <em>The medic grew concerned and opened the door, "Bumblebee, what's wrong?" He found the scout huddled in the corner of his room, curled up in a fetal position. "What happened? Why have you been in here for the past week? Echo has to go get Raf by herself now."

_"__We did it again, Ratch,"_ the yellow bot muttered, rocking back and forth. "What do you mean?" Ratchet jogged over to the bot and placed a hand on his shoulder. _"Echo and I interfaced,"_ Bumblebee looked up at the older mech, _"And now I wish we hadn't." _The white and red Autobot narrowed his optics, "And why is that?"

_"__She's probably pregnant again,"_ Bumblebee mumbled, _"And either I'm going to be a sire, or it'll die again because of the poison."_ Ratchet sighed, "Oh, Bumblebee. If Echo is pregnant, that is a happy thing. If not, then you have nothing to be nervous about. Why don't you want to be a sire? Wouldn't you be happy?"

Bumblebee nodded, _"Excited, but I don't think I'm ready. Before, I wanted to be a sire badly. That could have been our only chance in case something happened to us in the war. But now that I'm thinking about it, I'm not ready."_

_"__How come she's not scared?" _Bumblebee asked with pleaded optics, _"We talked about it and she just shrugged it off as if it were nothing. Why?" _

Ratchet's optics widened, "Oh no."

* * *

><p>Echo kept driving for a long time, passing by mountains and open deserts. Her thoughts were spinning wildly as she sped down the straight road. <em>Maybe if I just leave, they can go back to their normal lives like I never happened.<em> She passed a minivan going the opposite direction, and it honked at her speed. _Now I question everything! My love for Bumblebee and my long lost passion with Smokescreen. _

The femme eventually came to her destination. Far off the road, there was a cave opening in the face of a mountain. Echo swerved towards it and kept on until she reached the base of the cliff. Transforming, she started climbing the face towards the mouth of the cave. _A few weeks ago, I was sure that I was falling for the scout, that we'd bond after the war and maybe have a few kids._

The fembot felt the lip of the cave welcome her and she pulled herself inside. There were ditches and small non-spherical craters in the rock. "Was this an energon mine?" Echo spoke out loud. Her voice rang throughout the long, narrow cave, putting a smile on the femme's face. It was then that she noticed the cave going downwards. Frowning in curiosity, she began walking through the tunnel.

Winding in a spiral pattern, the cave led Echo to a monstrous cavern. Spikes hung from the ceiling, sparkling and wet. "Whoa," the femme breathed out in awe. The same craters were scattered amongst the grey-blue earth. Across the way, a mining drill sat, vacant and dormant. "This is definitely a stripped mine," Echo said as she ran over to the Decepticon technology. The control panel was off and no longer working, the power likely drained from the device.

"I'll have to fix you up," the femme huffed and inspected the drill. Echo looked up at the vast space of the cavern and chirped, sending an echo throughout the cave. She smiled when her voice bounced back to her, getting softer each time until it faded away.

The smile fell when a pile of rocks fell off the wall of the cave. Echo activated her plasma gun and her battlemask, ready for an ambush. What she saw was a silver reflection coming from where the rocks were once piled. The Autobot slowly crept towards the object, believing it to be a trap. Pulling the rest of the rocks off, she uncovered what looked to be a Cybertronian container. It was a silver metal, adorned with markings in a language the fembot could not decipher.

Careful as to not disrupt the frame and balance of the cave, Echo removed the container, gently placing it on the ground. It was heavy, heavier than an energon crystal, leading the femme to think it to be an ancient artifact. "This must be what the Cons were looking for."

Echo examined the sphere thoroughly, thinking hard about every detail. But nothing solved the equation for her. It seemed to be in somewhat of an oval shape, with two smooth ends. At the top, an ancient symbol was carved into the metal. Echo had looked over it five times, going through her memory and education of what it could mean. As she brought her digits to it, she slightly pressed on it as she felt the details. "What in the Pit are y—"

The symbol pushed down, causing the container to come alive. Echo let go and jumped away in fright. A white wave of energy traveled down the container. Once it had reached the other end, it stopped and became motionless once more. "What the frag?"

* * *

><p>Ratchet returned to the computer without Bumblebee, starting his work. "What took you so long? Where's the scout?" Bulkhead asked, still holding the lob-ball. "He's not feeling well," the medic said casually, "So I suggest you find someone else to lob with." The Wrecker shrugged and looked around, "Where's Echo? She'll want to play a game or two."<p>

"Absolutely not!" Ratchet exclaimed and glared at Bulkhead as if he were preposterous. The green mech raised an optic ridge, "Why not? She's got a pretty good arm." The medic calmed down and shook his helm, "Okay, but don't get too rough."

"No problem," Bulkhead frowned at the mech's response and went in search of the femme.

Ratchet stood still for several cycles, pondering. _Echo, why did you have to make this situation worse?_

* * *

><p>The computer beeped and buzzed an alarm, startling the medic. Optimus walked into the room, a serious look on his face, "What's the commotion?" Ratchet typed into the computer and gasped, "An Autobot ship has entered Earth's atmosphere!"<p>

"Can you identify the ship?" the prime asked. "No," Ratchet huffed, "But I should be able to once it has landed. And, not knowing where it's headed, that could take awhile. I'll try to contact them."

Optimus glanced around, "Where's Echo?" The medic rolled his optics, "How come everyone is looking for her? She went for a drive about an hour ago."

The red and blue mech activated his comm., "Echo, return to base immediately." The only response the mech got was static. "Echo?" Ratchet looked at Optimus and a stern expression, "I wouldn't push her if I were you. She's been acting weird for awhile."

"Why is that?" Optimus deactivated his comm. and raised an optic ridge. "I think she and Bumblebee have been messing around again," the medic rolled his optics and huffed. "I don't see a problem with that," the prime surprised Ratchet, "I told Echo I was fine with it and that it's their business." Ratchet frowned, "Optimus please don't tell me that's true. I just spoke with Bumblebee, who is terrified of becoming a sire." Optimus tilted his helm, "Then why did they interface again?"

The medic remained silent and refused to answer. "Ratchet," Prime said in a demanding tone, "Why did they interface?" Ratchet shook his helm and looked at Optimus, "Echo insisted."

* * *

><p>Echo rolled into base, dirty and dusty from the "drive". Optimus walked up to the converting femme and glared, "Why didn't you answer your comlink?" Echo stood up and frowned, "I didn't receive anything. Did you contact the right frequency?" Optimus internally narrowed his optics and nodded, "Quite possibly." The femme did not want to mention that the connection might have been severed because she spent an hour looking at an ancient artifact.<p>

"Is something going on?" Echo walked over to where Ratchet was tracking the ship. "We've detected an Autobot craft," Ratchet said. Echo's optics widened and she smiled wide, "I know that ship!" Optimus narrowed his optics and walked over, "You do?"

"Yes," Echo got a closer look at the beacon, "Though I don't know where it's headed. She doesn't know where our base is."

"She?"

* * *

><p>A groundbridge opened only a few yards from the landed ship. Echo appeared first, looking around. As the others came through, she ran up to the ship's landing dock, knocked, and waited. A few cycles later, the dock hissed and lowered. On the base stood a blue and grey femme. Bluespark.<p>

Echo and Bluespark screamed in joy, embracing each other. "You're alive!" Echo exclaimed, hugging her younger and smaller sister. "I thought I'd never see you again," Bluespark cried. She pulled away and looked Echo in the optics, "Sister, something terrible has happened."

"What?" Echo placated her sister in the same fashion a mother would to her sparkling, "What happened?"

"Max has joined the Decepticons."

Echo's optics went wide and she clutched her chest, "How could this happen?" Bluespark placed a servo on her sister's shoulder, "Echo, we'll figure this out." The black femme shook her helm, "How could this happen?"

"I don't know," Bluespark sighed, "Maybe if we find father, he could help us." Echo's optics went dark, "No! He didn't raise us himself; he didn't give a scrap about us, so why would he help us now?"

"Echo," Bluespark frowned at her older sibling, "He's our father, and he loved us very much. He did what he did to protect us from his enemies."

"He is returning," Echo looked away, "I know it."

Optimus cleared his throat and approached the ship, "I am—"

"Optimus Prime," Bluespark nodded her respects and walked towards the prime, "It's an honor to meet you." The prime nodded and smiled, "Welcome to Earth. I hope you will be staying with us."

Echo laughed and paced over to her sister, "If I know Blue, we'll be begging her to leave within a week." Bluespark fake pouted and crossed her servos, "Hey!" The older femme shook her helm, "I'm just kidding, sister."

"So, where's the scout?" Bluespark asked as she and Echo walked through the bridge into base. "How do you know our scout?" Bulkhead inquired. "Telepathy," Echo and Bluespark said at the same time. "That's not creepy," Arcee stated sarcastically.

"He's been ill for the past week," Ratchet said, smiling at the blue femme. "Ratchet!" Bluespark exclaimed, running over to embrace the mech. "Ratchet helped to deliver all of us," Echo told the group to ease any confusion.

"Maybe you should give Bluespark a tour while we go pick up the kids," Bulkhead stated. Echo nodded and smiled, "Sounds good to me."

As Arcee and Bulkhead left the base, Echo pulled her sister over. "Let's show you around base." Bluespark shrugged and smiled. Echo gave her a look that said "We're not going to really do that." Her sister sent back a message in her head, _"Are we going to talk about the dream?" _

_"__Yep, and what happened that night." _

_"__Where is the scout?"_

_"__Ratchet said he's been sick all week and that I shouldn't talk to him in case I get sick, too." _

_"__Is it that bad?"_

_"__Apparently, or there's something else going on."_

Echo led Bluespark to the barracks and pointed to an empty room down the hall from her own, "That's yours." The blue femme giggled, "Cool!"

Bluespark turned to her sister and smiled, "Now that I'm here, let's figure out this—"

Echo gave a knowing smile, "Anecdote to my poison."

**a/n: I wanted to make sure you guys didn't have to wait too long for this new - I guess you could call it "season" - of this series, which I've name "Echo". Yes, very original *wink*. So this is the second season/book/fanfic or whatever of this story, and I hope you all enjoy it. Drama, tragedy, and romance are all in store for you guys, so hang on to your seatbelts! **

**-Darth Echo **


	2. Hello Again

**Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers or its characters. I do own my OCs: Echo, Bluespark, Cassy, & Iodine Maximo. **

**Chapter Two: Hello Again**

_"__Echo, wake up!" came a familiar voice. The femme opened her eyes to see Bluespark standing next to her berth. "Blue, what's wrong?" _

_"__Don't you want to find out what's going on?" Bluespark lifted an optic ridge, "We're in your dream, silly." Echo sighed, "Oh, okay." The blue femme chuckled, "So, do you have a plan?" Echo shook her helm and looked away gloomily. "I don't know who I love." _

_"__You and Bumblebee were so passionate—"_

_"__Yes," Echo cut her off, "But when you told me that Smokescreen is alive…" The younger sister finished for her, "You felt something switch and come back." Echo nodded, "Exactly. Smokescreen and I were…so in love that when they told me he died I gave up." _

_"__But when you met Bumblebee," Bluespark smiled slightly, "You felt that old connection through him." _

_"__Who do I go for? Bumblebee or Smokescreen?" _

_"__First off," Bluespark sat on the berth, "Even though Smokescreen is still alive, he isn't here; Bumblebee is." _

_"__So are you saying to go for the scout?" Echo pleaded her voice cracking. Bluespark exhaled, "I'm saying that you should give him a second chance." _

_The black femme closed her optics and inhaled, calming herself. When she opened her optics, she was in a new place. Now she was in a dark room, chains attached to her wrists. Echo panicked and started squirming, only to be held back by the restraints. "Bluespark?" she called out, but no reply came._

_The door to the cell opened and a familiar Decepticon walked in. He held a scalpel in one hand, and a cortical psychic patch in the other. Echo screamed in terror, wanting terribly to wake up from this nightmare. Everything went dark and all Echo could hear were screams. Her own screams. _

* * *

><p><em>Echo felt her optics begging her to open them. She did so and saw that she was still in the cell. But now, a layer of blue was splattered on the ground. She looked down and saw a large gash in her abdomen. Similar cuts adorned her arms and legs. The cuffs holding her wrists were stained with her blood. The taste of energon filled her mouth and she threw up. <em>

_Horror stood in her gaze as a shadow entered the room. The sparkle that was once in her eye was now barren and cold. She looked up towards the ceiling and her vision began to blur. "Primus save me," she whispered as the image turned white._

* * *

><p><em>Echo sat up, screaming. She looked around and saw she was on a medical berth in a hospital. "Whoa, whoa!" a mech voice came. Looking to her right, Echo saw him sitting there, holding her servo. "You're safe now," Smokescreen soothed, cupping her cheek, "You're safe here." <em>

_"__What happened?" Echo pleaded, her voice a mere croak. "You were captured by Decepticons," Smokescreen said with a crack in his speech, "We got ya out a few days ago." Echo laid back down and tried to calm her heaving chest. She looked down and saw the gash melded up. Her optics filled with tears and sorrow realizing what had just happened. "They took him," she muttered through gritted teeth. _

_"__What?" Smokescreen frowned slightly and placed the back of his hand to the femme's forehead, "Are you feeling okay?" _

_"__Never better," Echo smiled and looked away. She thought to herself, "If only I knew that day what I had lost." Smokescreen stood up and kissed Echo's forehelm. "I'll be back in a little bit. Magnus needs me to go on a scouting mission," he said, muffled by Echo's head. She wrapped her arms around his neck gently and pulled him down gently for a kiss, "Be safe." _

_"__I will, gorgeous." _

_A flash of bright white caught Echo off guard as she was brought back to Bluespark. "What did you see?" her younger sister asked. "You couldn't see it?" Echo frowned. "No, I was blocked," Bluespark rolled her optics, "But did you get any more clues?" _

_"__From what happened," Echo sighed, "The Decepticons took something away from me when they had me captured. Likely my son." _

_Bluespark growled and her ears went flat, "I knew it. Oh, Echo. I'm so sorry." The black femme nodded, "I just hope he's alive." _

_"__You'll probably find out soon," the blue femme pondered for a moment, "But wouldn't you feel a stab of pain if your son had died? The bond between a carrier and sparkling is very strong." Echo shook her helm, "I didn't get to raise him, so I wouldn't have the same bond." _

_"__True, but you did carry him for quite a few months," Bluespark hummed in thought, "I'm sure you'd be able to feel his presence if he's here on Earth." _

_"__And if he does come to Earth," Echo narrowed her optics and stared off into space, "What do I say to the others? To Bumblebee?" Both femmes sighed in frustration and frowned. "If he can't accept it," the blue Autobot breathed, "then he doesn't deserve you." Echo smiled and nodded her appreciation. _

_Everything went black again. Echo mentally grunted, "Again?"_

* * *

><p><em>She opened her eyes, and found herself on a couch-looking object in a decorated room. "This is my old apartment in Praxus," Echo muttered to herself. "Mom?" a young mech voice came from another room. The femme got up and turned around, looking for the owner of the voice. An adolescent blue mech with black and red stripes entered the room from a hallway, "Mom?" <em>

_"__Yes?" Echo resisted the temptation to gasp. "Where's dad? He hasn't come back from Iacon yet," the mech stated in a concerned tone. "I think he's just working some overtime," Echo placated, remembering the night Smokescreen didn't return from Iacon. "Did you see the smoke?" _

_"__What smoke?" the femme frowned and placed a hand on her son's shoulder. "Look out the window, mom," the boy led her to the window. Outside, Echo could see black smoke and orange flames erupting from Iacon. "Smokescreen," she whispered. _

_The ground began to shake and a hole opened up underneath Echo. She screamed as she fell, bracing herself for the impact._

* * *

><p><em>Bluespark shook the femme awake. Echo looked up and saw they were back in the same room as before. "Ugh, nothing but the night Smokescreen went missing." <em>

_"__I guess that solves your question as to what happened?" Bluespark asked, earning a nod from her sister. _

_"__As for your love triangle," Bluespark huffed, "I guess you'll have to keep trying. Maybe soon your dreams will reveal something deeper than your memory goes. Something that only the old you could remember."_

_"__You were always the wisest of us three," Echo said, hugging her sister, "You would have made Solus so proud." Bluespark hugged her back, "Oh, but Echo you are the bravest of us. You have no boundaries. Even the power of Liege Maximo couldn't stop you. I wouldn't be surprised if Solus' life force still beats through you. Father always spoke of how much you look like her." _

_Echo sniffed and sighed, "Maybe I have been too harsh on him. When he left me at the Ninja Corps, I couldn't find myself to forgive him. But I do regret not telling him I still loved him before he was gone." _

_"__Nexus will come back, as he always does. He is no coward, and always keeps his word. Even though he's a troublemaker," Bluespark laughed. Echo smirked and rolled her optics, "He would make quite the leader. Even Smokescreen wasn't that much of a trickster." _

_"__It's time to wake up, sister."_

* * *

><p>Cassy poked Echo's face, pulling her from the dream. "I'm up," the femme groaned. Her pet licked her face and got off the berth, "I made sure you woke up early." Echo huffed and patted the wolf's helm, "Thank you. I know I can always count on you." Cassy puffed out her chest with pride and looked up in a snooty way, "Well, I am the best hunt dog there is."<p>

"You silly girl," Echo stood up and whistled for Cassy to follow her, "You're also quite the troublemaker."

"Hey," the Cybertronian objected, "I only accidentally chewed up Ratchet's wrench eight times."

The two femmes laughed and walked out of the room towards the main hall. "I hope you got some relief in your dreams," the dog said after a few moments of silence. "How did you know?" Echo almost stopped in shock. "You talk in your sleep when the scout isn't there," Cassy answered.

"Oh," Echo mentally slapped herself, "So you know quite a bit, huh?" Cassy smiled, "Your secrets are safe with me."

"Thank you, my little pup."

**a/n: Alright. I hope this chapter both clears some things up, and adds more suspense to the series. **

**Valkyrie 497: Thanks! Yes, OCs are a lot of fun to write with. Alright, I'll make sure to clear that up ;) Thanks for letting me know about that. Okay, so "Echo" is good? Good! **

**I'll be figuring out an update schedule soon and I'll let you all know :) **

**Until next time,**

**-Darth Echo **


	3. How is This Possible?

**Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers or its characters. I do own my OCs: Echo, Cassy, Bluespark, & Iodine Maximo **

**Chapter Three: How is This Possible?**

Echo and Cassy walked into the med bay laughing. Ratchet turned around and glared at the black femme, "You have a lot of explaining to do." Echo rolled her optics and gave a similar expression, "What's going on now?"

"What did you do to that poor mech?" the medic snapped, motioning for Cassy to leave. The dog growled and headed back to the room, giving Echo a concerned looked as she passed. "What are you talking about?" the femme hissed and flicked her tail in frustration. "You do know where he is, right?" Ratchet huffed, pointing a wrench at the femmes helm.

"You told me he's sick," Echo raised an optic ridge and scowled at the tool. "You'd think he would be in the med bay or at least come out to get energon in the past week," the old bot narrowed his optics and shook his helm. Echo gasped and looked in the direction of the barracks. "He has been huddled up in the corner of his room for days," the mech added, "I talked to him, and he is terrified."

Echo turned to her old friend with a determined look, "Take another scan."

* * *

><p>Bluespark got up from her berth when a knock sounded on her door. She hit the button on the panel and smiled when she saw her sister. Her grin however faded when she saw Echo's sorrow. "What's wrong?"<p>

"I need to go talk to Bumblebee," Echo sighed, walking into the room, "Apparently he's scared that I'm sparked and he'll become a sire." Bluespark frowned and tilted her helm, "I thought he wanted to be a sire? Are you?"

Echo shook her helm, "He did, but he thought about it and figured he wasn't ready." Blue narrowed her optics, "Are you sparked?" The black femme sat on the berth and looked up at her sister, "I don't even know what to say to him."

"Echo!" her sister shouted, glaring, before going back into a whisper, "Are you sparked?"

"No," Echo glanced downwards and sighed heavily. Bluespark placed a comforting servo on her sister's shoulder, "Did you want to be?" The Autobot nodded in response and swept her tail across the bed sullenly. "That's why I was so willing to interface a second time," Echo added, sniffing. Blue sat next to her sibling and placated her.

"He was so upset when our sparkling died, but now he doesn't want one at all. It was surreal how we went from grief to trying for another. But I was screaming in my spark for something. When were done interfacing, the pain was gone, and I thought I had made the right choice."

"Echo," Bluespark fixed the femme's hair piece, "You shouldn't blame yourself. Perhaps Bumblebee needed time to think. He was probably caught up in the moment as well. After all, he is a mech. They're sorta programmed that way."

Echo snickered and smirked, "Maybe my hormones are just really high and I'm overreacting. I could probably live a hundred life cycles and never deserve that mech."

"Don't do this to yourself, it's not healthy. Just work things out with the scout and go on as if nothing can bring you down. Remember when you used to be like that?"

"I haven't been like that since Smo—"

Bluespark's optics widened slightly and her jaw dropped. Echo had the same reaction and covered her mouth as if she had spoken blasphemy. Her eyes looked around frantically and she finally calmed down. The femme closed her mouth and touched her lips. "They did something, didn't they?"

"What are you talking about, sister?"

Echo turned and gave her sister a serious look, "They did something to my birthing chamber didn't they?"

"You're not making sense," Blue grimaced, "Who did what to your chamber?"

"When the Decepticons took my son, they must have done something to my birthing chamber. That's how the poison got in. That's why I've had two miscarriages."

"Birthing chambers are heavily fortified, so that makes sense," Bluespark nodded before her optics flew open, "Wait…two?!" Echo nodded and sighed, "There's no way that we didn't create another sparkling again." The blue femme embraced Echo and cried, "I'm so sorry."

Echo patted her back and soothed, "It's alright. Now that I have a notion as to what the problem is, maybe I can fix this."

"You should bring this up with Ratchet."

"Not yet, especially if I don't know for sure," the femme exhaled.

"Go talk to Bumblebee."

"What?" Echo narrowed her optics and let go of her sister. "Go talk to Bumblebee," Bluespark repeated in a stern tone, "Now."

* * *

><p>"Bumblebee, can I come in?" Echo asked as she knocked, her helm pressed against the door. She heard shuffling and footsteps and stood up straight. The mech hit the button on the panel and the barrier between the two disappeared. Echo stifled a gasp upon witnessing the scout's condition. <em>"Uh, hi,"<em> he said, rubbing the back of his neck, _"Come in."_ Instead of doing so, Echo wrapped her arms around his neck and embraced him, Bumblebee returning the gesture.

"I am so sorry," she whispered, failing to hold back a sob. _"Why?"_ Bumblebee rubbed her back and nuzzled the femme's helm. "I've been so lost," she sniffed, "so selfish." The mech shook his helm slightly, _"No, I'm the one at fault here." _Echo pulled away and narrowed her optics, "How? You have been nothing but caring and kind towards me."

Bumblebee looked away, searching for something to say. He stared Echo in the optics and beeped, _"Can we start over?"_

Echo lifted an optic ridge before smiling, "I'd love to."

The scout held out his servo and said nervously, _"Hi, my name is Bumblebee."_ Echo giggled and shook his servo, "Nice to meet you. I'm Echo."

The two bots stood there and smiled, a new friendship forming.

* * *

><p>The mouth of the cave seemed different now. Echo's energon tank clenched as she entered the opening, making her frown in confusion. Every step she took towards the cavern was another contraction in her stomach. The monstrous space welcomed her, making the feeling in her gut all the more confusing. But the sound of rocks clattering and something breaking startled her.<p>

Echo brought out her guns and panned the room. There were many areas of the cavern that were covered in a shadow. The femme looked around for the container, fearing the Decepticons might have come back for it. She sniffed the air and found no trace of said Cybertronians. Or the container.

A gurgling sound echoed throughout the cave, followed by a squeal. Echo, optics wide from the choking suspense, turned sharply to stare at a corner of the cavern behind her. She pointed her gun at it, the feeling in her tank pulsing hard. The femme gasped at what emerged from the shadows.

A small, white sparkling peeked its helm from the darkness, blue optics gazing up at Echo in fear. The black Autobot deactivated her plasma gun immediately and knelt down. She cooed to the youngling, "It's okay, you just startled me. I won't hurt you." The sparkling stepped closer, and Echo's optics widened again. This was no ordinary sparkling. The Cybertronian had four paws with sharp claws, a pointed face, a long, thick tail, a fiery mane, and two wings sprouted from its back. "A Predacon?" Echo fainted and collapsed onto the ground.

_How is this possible?_

* * *

><p><strong>an: Pretty sudden, huh? Yeah, there will be a lot of OCs in this series. **

**Uploading schedule:**

**There will be a new chapter every ****Monday**** and ****Wednesday****; on ****Saturdays****, I'll try to post either an extra long chapter, or two regular chapters. **

**Valkyrie: Yeah, I know, I need to calm down before my fingers fall off XD I'm glad the chapter had the perfect mood. Yep, that "container" is probably going to be ****_really_**** significant. **

**As for the reveiws for A Scout, a Femme, and the Stars:**

**TransformersGeek2002: Thank you so much. That really means a lot! I hope you continue to enjoy reading this series as it goes on.**

**Valkyrie: Yep, a three-parter...cause I'm too evil to put it into one chapter ;) Hopefully my style of writing - throwing a curve ball and not explaining it until later - isn't annoying. That's just how I feel the story should go. Plus...it's more fun that way *mwuahaha* Don't worry, I welcome and sincerely appreciate the constructive criticism. It helps me as a write to know how the reader feels and to make sure they are getting the message loud and clear. I will try my hardest to make sure ATMP is better than can be ;) This new life for Echo will be quite the suspenseful and crazy ride, I guarantee. Oh yes, the love scene. I too thought it was extremely vague and sudden. But that will however come to bite a certain mech in the aft- er, I mean butt. **

**I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!**

**Until next time,**

**-Darth Echo **


	4. Secrets

**Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers or its characters. I do own my OCs: Echo, Cassy, Bluespark, and Iodine Maximo. **

**Chapter Four: Secrets**

The small sparkling crept closer to Echo, her optics beaming. She crouched and wiggled underneath the femme's arm, cuddling up next to her. Purring, the Predacon closed its optic shudders and fell asleep.

* * *

><p><em>"<em>_You found a what?!" Bluespark screamed, optics wide. Echo stood in front of her, an energon cube in her hand. "Yeah, a little white sparkling," she stated, taking a sip of energon. "Don't you know how dangerous they are?" Blue began to panic. Echo immediately put the cube down on the table next to her and walked over to her sister, who was sitting on a bench. The two femmes were in the mess hall of the Elite Guard Headquarters, which were destroyed in the present. _

_"__Blue, it's not going to hurt us," Echo soothed, "It's too young. The poor thing had to have hatched barely a day ago." Bluespark nodded and attempted to calm herself, "What are you going to tell the others?"_

_The black femme remained silent._

_"__Echo, please don't tell me you're going to keep it from them!" _

_This the older Autobot responded to, "Blue, I have to. If they find out about it – or worse; the Decepticons find out about it – then its chances at survival will become nothing." _

_"__Fine, but if you get in trouble for this, I'm not involved, got it?" Bluespark added narrowed optics to her expression. "Crystal clear," Echo smirked, "But don't you want to meet the little mech or femme?" Her sister scoffed and looked insulted, "Of course I do! I'm not that big of a buzz kill."_

* * *

><p>Echo felt herself pour back into her form. Though, something was different. She felt a warm presence, almost like another spark beat. Slowly, the femme opened one optic and looked down. She smiled when she saw the frame of the Predacon sparkling snuggled up to her chassis.<p>

The dainty thing sniffed and yawned sleepily, opening its optics. Echo smiled and sat up, stroking the youngling's neck and mane. "You're absolutely adorable, you know that?" The Predacon looked behind her when she heard a thump and saw Echo's tail. Coming up with an idea, the Autobot lifted her tail above the sparkling, just barely out of reach.

Echo couldn't help but laugh when the Predacon began jumping to catch the appendage. Finally grasping the tail between her paws, the sparkling gently chewed on it. It was more of a gumming action, as the young Cybertronian had no teeth yet. "I guess I got lucky twice today," Echo smiled and watched the baby crawl around and play. _Maybe I am meant to stay here._

"We've detected an energon mine," Ratchet said, gesturing towards the signal on the data computer. Optimus turned to his soldiers and looked among them. "Bumblebee, Echo, Arcee," the mech said, "I need you to carry out this mission with caution." All three bots stepped forward and nodded. "Echo, you are in charge," the prime said before turning back towards the computer screen. Echo lifted an optic ridge and shrugged, "Whatever you say, boss." Arcee smiled and rolled her optics while Bumblebee smirked at the femme and lightly punched her shoulder. _"Think you can handle being boss bot for the day?_"

Echo laughed, "If I can handle Bulkhead after he wakes up in the morning, I can handle anything." The green mech turned to the femme and frowned, "I take offense to that." The black Autobot waved him off and motioned for Ratchet to activate the groundbridge. As the three walked through, Echo's gut began clenching again. She frowned for a split second before ignoring it.

* * *

><p>"Jack, I can't!" Arcee called out as the fighting intensified, "I'm in the middle of something." Echo frowned and looked back to the motorcycle from where she hid behind a rock, "Arcee, what's going on?"<p>

"Jack needs me to get to his garage before his mom freaks out," the femme yelled back, dodging a few shots. Bumblebee smashed two Cons that were approaching Echo. She looked to the mech and nodded her thanks. "Echo, Bumblebee," Arcee hid behind a energon crystal and glanced at the two Autobots, "Can you handle this?"

Echo gave a crisp nod of her helm and activated her battlemask, turning back to the fight. A groundbridge opened up and Arcee was gone. _"Time for the A-Team to work their magic,"_ Bumblebee joked, nearly getting shot in the chassis. He ran to a pair of Cons and tackled one, while Echo kicked and shot the other. Echo shrieked and fell when she felt a shot pierce her right shoulder. "Don't get too cocky, scout."

Bumblebee stood by the femme, aiming at the Decepticon who shot her. "How many more are there?" Echo asked, standing up. _"About twenty in this tunnel,"_ the mech replied, still shooting. The black Autobot activated her plasma gun and began firing, her and Bumblebee slowly making an advance on the Cons.

The ground suddenly began to shake, and Bumblebee pushed Echo to the side behind a rock just before a massive energon crystal fell on her. "Thanks," she whispered, panting hard. The mech nodded and peeked around the rock, seeing a drill come through the wall of the tunnel, carrying more Decepticons. _"We have more company."_

Echo snickered and jumped over the rock, taking out three Cons in three straight shots. She deactivated her gun in favor of hand-to-hand combat and began punching a mech in the chassis. He clumsily attempted to reciprocate the blows, but the femme merely ducked and knocked him on his aft with a simple swipe of her leg. The Con took the opportunity and grabbed onto her leg, dragging Echo down with him. She grunted and kicked the mech's side, earning a shout of pain. Rolling to her side, she bought herself enough time to stand up and shoot the Decepticon.

Bumblebee on the other hand was not faring as well. The mech he was fighting was more skilled at combat, striking the scout every other punch. Soon, Bumblebee had a nasty dent in his chassis and a cut on his faceplate that began to bleed energon. Echo growled and was about to help her fellow Autobot out, but was punched in the face by a Con she didn't see coming. His punch caused her to fall to the ground and become victim to a repeated kick to the stomach.

Every time the femme tried to get up or move away, the Con would either stomp or kick harder. Her rage grew and her optics began to turn the all-too-familiar yellow. She got a slight glimpse at Bumblebee and snarled when the Con he fought bashed him in the head, splattering energon across the floor. The pain from her wounds and torture was starting to blind Echo. Her instincts began to kick in and she lost control.

Now a dangerous maximal, Echo was able to get away when the mech back away in terror. She stood up and glared at the mech, who began running for his life. Echo's helm shook as she felt something arise. Hunger.

The Con was horrified when he reached a dead end. He turned around and gasped when he saw the tiger's shadow approaching. Echo snickered when she saw the mech's optics screaming bloody murder. Her body naturally settled into a crouch and she began sprinting in to the kill.

* * *

><p>Bumblebee frowned when he heard the scream, a blood-curdling cry from down the tunnel. The distraction betrayed him as he was sent to the ground in a powerful shove. The scout was only able to look up for a few seconds before the shot hit his chest.<p>

* * *

><p>Echo's optics changed color once the deed was done. Her whole body shook and she frantically swayed her helm back and forth. <em>What have I done?<em> As the fear disappeared and the threat lie dead in a pool of energon, Echo's self conscious came back to her. She was a bi-pedal once again.

The femme looked at her energon-stained servos and cried in horror. She let a tear flow down her cheekplate as she sobbed, hating herself for becoming such a monster. Echo sat for awhile, holding herself before realizing the silence that surrounded her. "Bumblebee!"

As Echo rounded the corner, she took in the scene. The ground was littered with the fallen bodies, and the yellow and black scout was among them. The femme screamed and ran to his side, pushing away a dead Con. She inspected the wound and exclaimed once more in horror, "Speculatum mea! Quae fecerunt vobis?" Echo caressed the mech's faceplates, "Bumblebee, no!" Her cries were heavy and full of tears. She leaned down in her fit and listened for a spark beat. But there was none to be heard. "Why did it have to be you?" Echo looked the scout's frame up and down, bawling harder than a newborn sparkling. "Please wake up! Bumblebee!"

"Ratchet! Send help! Bumblebee's not breathing!" the femme's cries came through the base comm. channel. The medic's optics widened and he answered the call, "Echo, calm down. What's going on?"

"Ratchet, his spark stopped! He's not beating! He stopped beating!" Echo was now in a full bawl, her voice cracked and almost unrecognizable. "I'm on my way," the old bot replied, activating the groundbridge. As he entered the tunnel, he saw the femme crouched over the mech's lifeless body. Ratchet rushed over and pushed Echo out of the way.

Echo spaced out, a terror creeping up from the past.

_The two bots were surrounded, no way out of the building without being killed. Smokescreen turned to Echo and fixed her hair piece, looking her deeply in the optics. "Sweetspark," he exhaled, "I'm going to distract them while you escape through the vent system." The black femme frowned and glared at him, "I will never leave you behind! If you die, I die with you. We're a team." Smokescreen smirked at the thought, "And a pretty good one, huh?" _

_He kissed the femme's forehelm and began walking towards the door to his ultimate defeat. What he didn't see was the small tripwire barely a foot from the entrance. "Smokescreen, no!" _

_The mech didn't have enough time to react. The blast threw him off his peddes and into a helpless pile on the other side of the room. His body was marred with black charring and burns. Echo stood up from the impact and ran to her partner, bawling. She felt for his sparkpulse. _

_Nothing to be heard. _

Echo snapped back to reality and witnessed the scene. Ratchet had brought out his defibrillators and attempted to bring the scout back to life. After dozens of tries, the mech couldn't get the spark to start beating again. Echo screamed in pain at the tragic loss of another friend. Something more.

She couldn't help but fall victim again to the flashbacks.

_Smokescreen was dead, and Echo knew there was nothing she could do about it. He was gone. No spark. No life. _

_Her servos gently searched his chassis, as if there were something there to bring him back to life. Giving up on hope, the femme leaned down and planted a tender kiss upon the mech's lips. "I am so sorry, hot shot. Why did you have to go? Why did you have to leave me?" The femme cried and punched a wall, causing her knuckles to break and bleed. A sudden pulse came to her spark and she stopped, feeling the warmth. _

_Echo heard a whirring sound and sharply turned to look at the mech. His optics were flickering on, and he sat up quickly, coughing up energon. Echo embraced him tightly and stroked his helm, "Don't you dare ever leave me again!" Smokescreen whimpered as the tears began to form, "I won't. Not now, not ever." _

"Ratchet, move out of my way!" the femme shoved the medic away from the scout, crawling towards him. "What in the name of the AllSpark are you doing?" Ratchet snapped, about to pull the femme away. But he stayed still when she gently kissed Bumblebee and whispered something to him, "Please wake up, skauti."

* * *

><p><strong>an: Sorry, I know, this chapter was posted a little late at night. I had it ready but didn't get a chance to upload until 11pm *rolls optics* Anyways, I hope you've enjoyed this chapter! Thank you for all the support! **

**Valkyrie: Yes, I have also been pondering on an Autobot Predacon for quite awhile. Now I'm glad I have a spot in which I can plug him/her in. **

**Until next time,**

**-Darth Echo **


	5. Stories and Dreams: Part I

**Stories and Dreams: Part I**

Arcee sped into base upon hearing the news. She transformed and almost cried at the scene of her fallen brother. Ratchet was attaching tubes and wires to the beat-less mech, hastily working to save him. Bulkhead and Optimus stood nearby, watching with horrified optics. Tears began to fall down the femme's faceplates, causing her to hiccup. She looked around and asked in between hiccups, "Where's Echo?"

"I had to send her away from base," Optimus looked down and sighed, closing his optics, "When we tried to take Bumblebee back to base, she started getting angry and almost made the situation worse." Arcee gasped as she understood what he meant, "Where'd you send her to?" Optimus narrowed his optics and glared at the femme, "Do not attempt to talk to her. She is currently in no position to be around others."

The old medic stopped what he was doing and looked to Arcee, "I need to get Bumblebee back on line first before we risk approaching Echo. But, I did send Cassy to watch her from afar. She's safe, I can assure you." Arcee glared and rolled her optics, "Sure, with the Decepticons aiming for her tailpipe." The femme exhaled and accepted defeat, joining the vigil.

* * *

><p>"And I came back and he was gone!" Echo screamed, pacing back and forth in the cavern. The Predacon sparkling sat down, confused at the situation. "I know that Ratchet was trying to save him, but it wasn't working. Something happened and all I remember is Prime telling me to leave." Echo frowned and wiped the streaks from her face. The sparkling tilted her helm and chuffed like a puppy. "What did I do?" the femme cried, looking at her servos, the dried energon clinging to her.<p>

"What have I become?"

* * *

><p>"Ah!" Echo screamed, sitting up. The sparkling jumped from her spot next to femme, shrieking like a baby dinosaur. Echo reached a hand over and cooed the Predacon, "Sorry, I just had a weird dream." The young Predacon crept back towards Echo and cuddled up next to her, falling asleep against the warmth.<p>

"What in the name of the AllSpark was that?"

"Was what?"

Echo, startled, activated her plasma gun, shielding the sparkling. When she looked up, she breathed a sigh of relief, "Bluespark". The blue femme smiled slightly and sat down next to the two. "How'd you get here without Optimus knowing?" her sister demanded. "What do you think?" Blue returned with a smirk. "The ventilation shaft," Echo sighed, rolling her optics, "I should have never told you about that."

"Is this your new companion?" Bluespark said, changing the mood. Echo beamed and stroked the Predacon's helm, earning a slight purr amongst the snoring. "Yep," she said, "I don't know its designation yet, but I'm sure we'll find out soon."

"She," Bluespark paused, "or he – is absolutely adorable. Only a few days old you say?" The black femme nodded and deactivated her plasma gun.

"What was your dream about?"

"I couldn't tell," Echo frowned, narrowing her optic shudders, "But there was lightning striking a patch of yellow flowers…weird."

"Indeed," Bluespark expressed a confused look of her own, "Maybe a sign?"

"Even if it is," Echo sighed, "It couldn't possibly take my mind off the mech." Bluespark placed a comforting hand on her sister's shoulder, "I'm sure Ratchet will bring him back. He said the scout isn't completely dead." Echo turned to her sharply, "What?"

"Bumblebee's processor activity is still normal, even though his spark stopped pulsing energon," the blue femme said with a calm ease. "All we need is for that stubborn scout to start breathing again."

_He's not beating! He stopped breathing! _The black fembot shook her helm and stood up, careful to not disturb the sleeping child. "Where's Cassy?" the lieutenant asked, "I know Optimus sent her to watch over me."

"She's outside the cave standing vigil," Bluespark answered, standing up as well. Echo narrowed her optics and looked around, contemplating. "I need you to keep me updated on what's going on," the femme finally said, "I can't leave until Optimus says it's okay to return to base." Bluespark smirked, "He didn't tell you where you had to go to. He just said to leave until you cool off." Her sister growled softly, glaring at nothing. "But I can see that hasn't happened yet."

"Don't worry, I'll keep you caught up," the blue femme sighed, rolling her optics. Echo embraced her and whispered, "You better get back before Optimus finds out."

* * *

><p>"Since Bumblebee's spark is not pumping energon," Ratchet gestured towards the scout who was lying in a peaceful death, "I used the machine Echo designed to pump it for him. He's mentally active, but until we can get that spark working, he's as good as dead." Optimus nodded grimly, sighing in contempt.<p>

"Perhaps I was too harsh on Echo," Optimus frowned, "Her spark was in the right place." Ratchet huffed, "Yes, but she nearly broke out into other hungry rage. If she had lost control again, she would have murdered us easily."

Optimus's optics flew wide open. The medic looked away, knowing he said too much. "What do you mean?" the Prime demanded answer. "Optimus," the old bot sighed, "There are things about this femme that most would not want to know."

"such as?"

"If you had a few days to sit on your aft, I could tell you," Ratchet joked, "But unfortunately I am not up to liberty to discuss that with you." The red and blue Autobot narrowed his optics, signaling that he was being serious. Ratchet threw his servos into the air and accepted defeat, "Fine! But you must swear to never speak this to another being." Optimus nodded and gestured for the medic to continue.

"She was born in Praxus and raised by Solus and Nexus. About three Earth years later, her brother, Iodine Maximo – now a Decepticon from what Bluespark told me – was born. Maximo pretty much became more of an older brother and guardian to the young femme, though the two always ended up getting into some sort of trouble."

"Bluespark was born when Echo was about nine years old. When her mother died, Echo took over as Bluespark's carrier figure. After that, the two were inseparable – even when Nexus Prime took the three to live with the Ninja Corps. The War between you and Megatron had just barely started, causing Max to be ripped from the Corps to join the Elite Guard. Bluespark dropped out and joined the Autobot Academy. Echo was one of the few to stay, including her at-the-time best friend, Felidae."

Optimus widened his optics and shifted from the words, "They were once allies?"

"More like sisters, if you ask me. When Felidae turned against the Autobots, she put Echo in the emergency hospital for months. That's when she decided to help me out as a nurse. Through that career, she met a young mech whom she knew from her childhood. They had a romance that ended quite badly when he went missing in action. Echo was kidnapped and held prisoner by the Decepticons for about two months a few weeks after that. She practically changed then, going on to become a soldier in the Elite Guard."

"Ultra Magnus noticed her skill and cunning, and offered her a spot as his lieutenant. From then on, she led countless battles as a general and war hero. She was probably shot down, almost killed, and taken prisoner dozens of times during this period. One of those events resulted in Megatron ripping off her doorwings as a form of torture, something she could never get back. I tried to give her new ones, but she refused. At some point, Nexus disappeared, believed to be killed by Megatron. What enraged Echo further was when Bluespark was caught in a bombing and proclaimed dead."

"The femme had so much hate that she couldn't control the CNA flowing in her pipes. I'm sure you haven't heard of the Alley of the Murdered in Praxus?"

The Autobot leader shook his helm.

"Well…Echo was corned in that alley one night after returning from battle. Protestors of the war ambushed her and jammed her comm., and then they pinned her against the wall. They were most likely drunks as well. Echo, out of fear and instinct, converted into her maximal form and murdered them. A few tried to run away to get help, but they faced the same fate. The walls of the alley were stained with their blood for stellar cycles to come."

Optimus did not want to believe it, turning away. But he still gave the medic his attention.

"Her mother, father, and sister dead; her brother nowhere to be found; and her best friend out to kill her, Echo became significantly depressed, but still she fought. It wasn't until the Exodus when Echo had another chance at life. From what I know, she wandered the galaxy for a few years until she received your call to the remaining Autobots. To summarize, Echo hasn't had a good life."

Optimus took in the information and paced back and forth. "From what you've told me," the prime paused, almost regretting his next words, "it would be unwise to have Echo return to base for now."

Ratchet sighed and shook his helm, "I agree. But I must urge you to tell Echo the whole story once she returns."

"Tell her what?"

"Tell her Bumblebee's story – make her realize who he is. I'm pretty sure she doesn't know the whole story."

"Why can't you? You are like a sire to her, after all."

"Yes, but I'm not the mech that raised Bumblebee."

**Theme: "Amy Pond Theme" from Doctor Who **


	6. Stories and Dreams: Part II

**Stories and Dreams: Part II**

_Beeps. Chattering. A frustrated sigh. _

_Bumblebee's optics opened to see he was in the medbay of the Autobot base. Something was horribly wrong. He saw his own frame, marked and lifeless. "What happened to me? Am I dead?" the scout asked frantically, looking for Ratchet or Optimus. "This is just a vision, Bumblebee," a femme voice came. _

_The mech turned around and bleeped in joy, "Yellowstorm?"_

* * *

><p>"Come on, Bumblebee!"<p>

"You're almost there!"

"Just keeping fighting!" Loud noises and shouting echoed in the scout's head.

* * *

><p><em>Echo now lie on the medical berth, screaming out in pain. "Bumblebee, get your aft over here!" a young, red mech snapped, holding Echo's servo. The scout ran over and took the medic's place at the femme's side. Ratchet came running into the room, carrying a bizarre-looking tool. "What's that for?" Bumblebee bleeped, frowning as the femme squeezed his hand hard. <em>

_"__The sparkling is stuck," the medic said with a scowl, "Red Alert, I need you to help me get him out." _

_"__Sparkling?" the scout thought, optics wide. Echo was now full-fledged shrieking in agony. Bumblebee held her hand and hummed in an attempt to placate her. After what seemed to be hours, the medics finally said something. "She's losing energon too fast!" the younger medic said, staring at the monitor which was now beeping. Bumblebee gasped and looked down at Echo, who was now blinking to keep herself awake. _

_"__No, no, no," the scout said, kneeling down to be eye level with the femme. She glanced at Bumblebee and leaned over, kissing his cheekplate. "Echo, push!" _

_The femme screamed as she gave up her last fragment of energy to birth. A second cry combined with hers, a newborn sparkling. Ratchet exclaimed in frustration and punched the wall next to him, "He's too small! He'll die alongside his mother." _

_Bumblebee struggled as something moved in around him, pinning his arms against his sides. The mech's vision slowly grayed away. The last thing he heard was the younger medic. _

_"__She's gone."_

* * *

><p><em>"<em>_What?" _Bumblebee's optics onlined slowly, looking out bleakly. By his bedside stood all of his companions – except two. _"What happened?" _

"By the AllSpark!" Arcee placed a servo on the mech's bent up shoulder, "You're alive!"

"_I wasn't before?" _the scout chuckled, though stopped and chirped a whimper when he saw the Autobots' grim faces. "You have been offline for quite some time, my friend," Optimus said, "We were worried you had been lost." Bumblebee gasped and tried to sit up. But he was forced back down by Ratchet, "You are nowhere near ready to even sit up, Bumblebee."

The scout rolled his optics and beeped, muttering in Iaconian.

His fellow Autobots sent their get-better wishes and moved on to do their own things. The scout lifted an optic ridge when he noticed Arcee walking down the tunnel out of base. Bumblebee made sure Ratchet wasn't around and whistled to the femme, catching her attention. _"What are you doing?" _

"I'm going to find Echo," Arcee replied, walking over to the mech. Bumblebee looked around with a confused glance, _"Where is she?" _

"I dunno," the fembot shrugged, "Optimus sent her away from base for awhile." The scout's optics flew open, "Why? What did she do?"

Arcee dared not to look the mech in the optics. "She…"

* * *

><p>Echo sat just inside the mouth of the cave, looking out at the pink sunset. <em>If only Bumblebee were alive for us to see this together. <em>Her gut clenched and she looked up, sensing something.

_He lives… _a smooth voice whispered to Echo as if it were nothing but the song of the wind. Instead of believing it to be a ghost or ignore the voice, Echo closed her optics, enjoying the warmth and peace the presence brought.

_Who? _The femme asked – her speech smooth as honey, a whisper so soft and blissful. She felt as though something had hugged her spark, which now beat faster. A gust of wind almost blew her from her comfortable position at the lip of the cave. Her optics opened, only to be temporarily blinded by a bright light. She closed her eyes again and listened.

_You know in your spark that he lives, my child. _

Echo frowned in confusion and she asked, "Who are you?"

_I am Him. _

And then, the wind and the voice were gone. The bright light died out and Echo was able to see again. She stood up and flickered her tail, "What in the name of Cybertron was that?"

As the femme climbed down the mountain, she heard the familiar sound of a motorcycle far off in the distance. Wanting to get as far away from the cave as possible – as to keep her Predacon a secret – Echo transformed and started driving down the road to cover her tracks. After about a minute of driving, the pink and blue femme eventually came into view.

Both femmes gradually slowed down and stopped before each other. "Echo," Arcee panted, "Could you come with me to beat Jack's mom home?" Echo pondered for a second before honking, "Sure, lead the way."

* * *

><p>Echo turned off her engines and waited for Arcee to groundbridge into the garage. Since Echo had been 'banished' from base, she insisted upon driving to Jack's house while Arcee bridged herself there. Finally, the green-blue swirl shone from the windows of the garage.<p>

It was probably another fifteen minutes before Jack arrived on his bicycle. Echo saw the look of confusion on the boy's face and turned her engines on, driving up onto the driveway. Just before Jack closed the garage door, she pulled in and sighed. "Have you guys seen my mom?" the human asked.

"No," Echo replied, "We just came from base to beat her." Arcee spoke next, "Oh, and there's a package for you." Jack put away his bike and walked over to the wooden table where – sure enough – there was a paper envelope package. He opened it up only to discover a walkie talkie that clammered onto the table.

"Hello Jack."

Echo and Arcee transformed. The black femme's eye grew dark and she growled, "Silas." Jack gasped and took a step back, "They know where I live?!" Echo hissed as the man on the other side continued. "We know things about your family that even you don't know. Speaking of, do you know where your mother is?" His question almost sent Echo into a rage, spark beating faster.

"What did you do—"

"Jack, we don't have any intention of hurting her. In fact, we'd like to reunite the two of you as soon as possible."

Echo snickered, "Like my aft you would!" Silas chuckled and Echo could almost imagine him shaking his head, "Temper, temper. All I need is for you, Jack, and Arcee to follow the coordinates using this device."

Echo bent over to active her comm., only to have something mess with her audio receptors. The femme screamed as a thousand fires and the ringing made her helm feel like it was going to explode. Arcee placed a servo on her shoulder, only for the femme to gently move it away. "Did I not mention that this communicator can scramble your brains?" the human laughed as the screaming intensified.

* * *

><p><em>"<em>_Bumblebee, help me! Please!" _

_"__Echo, where are you?" Bumblebee screamed, marching through the rubble. "AHHH!" the high-pitched scream came. It intensified and grew so high that Bumblebee had to cover his receptors._

Bumblebee's optics shot open. He looked around, frowning. _What in the name of the AllSpark was that? _The scout could still hear the femme's cries ringing in his audio receptors. He pondered calling for Ratchet, but knew the medic would only assign him another week on the berth for processor scans.

_Where is Echo?_

* * *

><p>Arcee and Echo arrived at the warehouse, dozens of red lasers pointed to kill. "What's the plan?" Jack – who was on Arcee – asked. Echo and Arcee both responded, "The usual."<p>

Just as Silas appeared from behind a crate, the motorcycle took off, Echo taking the rear to cover Jack. The two came into what seemed like a vacant building and transformed. Jack began calling for his mother when the Decepticon showed up.

Echo grumbled and thought, _oh, this is so going to be a hard night to sleep on. _

"Looking for June?" the spider snickered, "She's hanging around here somewhere." Arcee turned to face her enemy, "Arachnid!" The Decepticon shot webs from both of her hands, each aimed for either femme. Arcee was immediately caught in the webbing, while Echo pounced out of the way. She backflipped as a grunt of frustration and more webs came her way. The spider inevitably got her after sending two webs at the same time. Echo was pinned against the wall, luckily right side up.

"What is Arachnid doing here?" Jack asked as Silas and his MECH soldiers came into the warehouse. "Help them," Arcee pleaded, "They're human like you! You can't let her—"

"A few human lives are a small price to pay for a miracle of science such as you both," Silas interrupted with an evil smile. Echo hissed and glared at him, "You're a monster, a pathetic coward!" Frowning, Silas turned to his guard and nodded. The man lifted his gun and shot a tranquilizer bolt at Echo. The femme gasped when the shot hit her shoulder and she squirmed until the shock eventually took her out.

* * *

><p>Echo's optics slowly opened to the sound of chainsaws. She saw two men standing over Arcee, ready to slice at her abdomen. As she prepared to start yelling and thrashing, she noticed Arcee's optic open and wink at her. Echo knew then to remain quiet. The motorcycle had a plan.<p>

**To Be Continued… **


	7. Stories and Dreams: Part III

**Stories and Dreams: Part III**

Echo flinched as she felt something grabbed at the webbing surrounding her, fearing the chainsaw was coming after her next. But as she opened her eyes, she spotted Arcee attempting to rip the material. "Arcee! How did you—"

"Girl, you seriously space out sometimes," the smaller femme laughed, ripping one side of the web. Echo fell onto her hands and knees, looking up to analyze the room. Echo's ears flicked about, finally pinpointing something in the distance, "I can hear Jack yelling."

"How can you hear it?" Arcee asked, puzzled. Echo waved her off and began walking out of the warehouse, "I just can, okay?"

The black femme stopped and closed her optics, focusing on one thing and one thing only; finding Jack and June.

* * *

><p>"I'm disappointed in you," Mrs. Darby pointed a finger at Jack, then she turned to Echo and narrowed her eyes, "And you, too." The black femme nodded and flattened her ears in shame. "Mom," Jack warned, "Echo's been through some hard times. Give her some slack."<p>

"No," Echo held up a servo, "Your mother is right. I should have been honest in the first place." June smiled and nodded, "Apology accepted. But you and I will have a talk about this later." Jack turned to his mother and smirked, "How about that ride I promised you?"

Echo smiled and looked to Arcee, who transformed and flickered her headlights, "Hop on." As the two humans got on, Arcee noticed the gloom spreading on Echo's faceplates. "Echo?"

"I can't go back," she turned away, guilt pouring from her optics, "At least not now. Tell Optimus." Arcee grunted, "Echo, you know you're not at fault here. You need to come back to base."

"I will, someday." The femme glared up at the moon, which out shined the delicate stars Echo loved so much. "Tell Optimus this: Revertar ad prophetiam excitat." _I will return after the prophecy awakens._

**Theme: "The Parting" by Kevin MacLeod**

* * *

><p><strong>an: I have to apologize for how short this chapter is, but I am on a time crunch and every car must go over the ****speed-bump****before exiting the parking lot and out onto the highway. Thank you so much for the wonderful reviews so far!**

**Until next time,**

**-Darth Echo **


	8. Wherever You Are

**Previously, on "Anecdote to My Poison":**

**"****It's been a week, Echo. Do you need to talk about something?"**

**"****I wanted to be a sire badly. But now thinking about it, I'm not ready." **

**"****I thought I'd never see you again!"**

**"****Max has joined the Decepticons." **

**"****I don't know who I love." **

**"****They took him…the Decepticons took something away from me…my son…"**

**"****I didn't get to raise him…" **

**"****Take another scan."**

**"****Can we start over?"**

**"****A Predacon?"**

**"****Echo, please don't tell me you're going to keep it from them!"**

**"****Bumblebee, no!"**

**"****He's not breathing! Bumblebee's not breathing!"**

**"****Please wake up, skauti."**

**"****Bumblebee's processor activity is still normal…"**

**"…****the Alley of the Murdered…stained with their blood for stellar cycles to come." **

**_"_****_You know in your spark that he lives, my child…I am Him…" _**

**"****Now I question everything!"**

**"****Echo, why did you have to make this situation worse?"**

**"****My love for Bumblebee…"**

**"****An Autobot ship has entered Earth's atmosphere!"**

**"…****and my long lost passion with Smokescreen…"**

**"****Echo…you need to come back to base."**

**"****I will, someday…after the prophecy awakens…"**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Eight: Wherever You Are<strong>

_2 weeks later…_

"Cassy, could you hand me a wrench?"

"What size?" the maximal asked, getting up from her position of watching the Predacon bounce around. "Uh…" Echo shook her helm and held up the bolt she was attempting to fasten, "This size." Cassy rolled her optics and muttered as she stuck her helm in the tool box to dig around, "Well that's sure helpful."

"Artemis," Echo scolded, glaring at the Predacon who had managed to obtain an energon cube, "That is not a toy!" The sparkling huffed and pushed the cube back towards the pile with a pouty face. "I swear, you are the most troublesome femme I have ever taken care of," Echo's ears pricked up, "And that's saying something considering Bluespark." Cassy grunted a laugh and pulled out a wrench and spoke, though her voice was muffled, "I think this will work."

The black Autobot smiled as the data computer sprung to life as she cranked the wrench, "Yep, I think it works." Cassy frowned and pointed a paw behind Echo, who turned around and gasped, "Artemis!" The femme Predacon stood on top of the energon stack, attempting to stay balanced on the wobbly blue cubes. "I swear by the AllSpark, you're going to end up killing yourself," Echo snapped as she ran over to the sparkling. Gently, she lifted Artemis off the cubes and set her back on the ground, "And stay there!"

Artemis pouted and began to whine, though Echo saw through her façade. Cassy gave a chuckle and smirked, "That's not going to work on her. Trust me, I've tried." The silver femme looked up to her master and thumped her tail, "Have you tried talking to the scout, yet?"

"Nope," Echo answered non-chalant, giving a shrug, "Didn't think they'd still need me after all of this."

"Master," Cassy pleaded, "It's been two weeks. They're probably out looking for you. If I know Bumblebee, he's driving himself crazy looking for you." Echo shook her helm and sighed, "Cassy, it's too complicated. This situation goes farther than just Bumblebee and I. It's something…more."

Cassy was about to continue her argument before she started growling. "What is it?" Echo asked as she accessed the newly activated computer. "I think the Predacon is making a run for it."

"I'm sure she's just – wait… what?!"

* * *

><p><em>Back at base…<em>

"Bumblebee, calm down," Arcee rolled her optics as the mech frantically typed into the data computer, "I'm sure she'll show up eventually. I mean, it's only been two weeks, not two years." The scout turned sharply and glared at her, _"A lot can happen in two weeks, Arcee! She could have been captured or worse!" _

"You're overreacting," the femme sent back, transforming into a motorcycle, "While you dilly around, I'm going to go pick up Jack from school. I suggest you do the same for Raf."

Bumblebee rolled his optics and faced the computer again, typing in the command for a signal scan. _C'mon, Echo, where are you?_ Bulkhead walked into the room, just about to go get Miko from school. _"Hey, Bulk?"_

"What's up, 'Bee?" the green mech stopped and glanced at the scout. _"Could you pick up Rafael for me?"_ Bulkhead narrowed his optics, "Shouldn't you be doing that?"

_"__Can't you see that I'm busy?"_ Bumblebee snapped. "Sheesh," Bulkhead shrugged and transformed.

_"__Hopefully now I can get some peace and quiet,"_ the scout stopped what he was doing and looked at his wrist, where a small "E" was carved into the metal. _"I hope you're still alive…wherever you are."_

**Theme: "You Can't Take Me" by Bryan Adams **


	9. A Great Light, A Great Fall

**Chapter 9: A Great Light, A Great Fall **

Echo ran up through the spiral, chasing the rebellious sparkling. She lost sight of her and came up to the mouth of the cave. Before she could start looking for Artemis, Echo spotted an odd formation of clouds. They looked as though they were coming closer to the cave. The black femme stepped closer to the edge and narrowed her optics.

_My child…_

The Autobot stepped backwards when she heard the voice again. "Wh-who is it?" she asked, looking around in fear.

_I am Him…_

"Who is Him?" Echo asked, optics still displaying her fright.

_I am God…the Father…_

"God?" Echo looked down at her peddes and pondered, looking through her memory. Her head snapped up in shock once she realized, "You are the human God?"

_I am the Creator of All…_

Echo felt a sudden urge and knelt down, bowing her head, "My Lord, I am not worthy." She could feel a warmth, almost like a light flow over her.

_My daughter, you have done wrong…_

"I have," Echo felt tears welling in her optics, "That is why I left."

_You will return when all is right…_

"Yes," Echo nodded, "But how do I know when I am to go back?"

_I will guide you…_

"Thank you," the femme almost cried, "I don't deserve such love, my God."

_I love all who believe… _

And with that, the welcoming spirit seemed to disappear, but Echo had a feeling that He was still there. "I believe," she whispered, looking up with big blue optics at the receding clouds. Within seconds, Echo could feel something hitting her leg. She looked down to see Artemis playfully pawing her peddes. "There you are, you troublemaker," the femme knelt down and picked up the sparkling, who was getting bigger every day.

"Let's go get some energon in your stomach," Echo laughed when she heard the Predacon's tanks grumbling. Artemis whined joyfully and the two went back into the cavern.

Once Echo set Artemis down, she walked over to the cubes and grabbed one and opened a side so the sparkling could drink from it. Artemis made quick work of lapping up her meal and started moving her wings, which Echo had not seen yet. The Predacon's beautiful, feather-like wings twitched and fluttered. As Artemis reached the bottom of the cube and had to make an effort to stick her head into it, her wings fully extended to balance her actions.

Cassy and Echo gasped, seeing how large they were proportional to the sparkling's size. "I wonder…" the femme trailed off, tilting her helm. "Master," Cassy growled ominously, "Don't even think about it."

"I'm not," Echo said with a smirk, turning back to the computer. "But I think some recharge will give me some nice ideas."

* * *

><p><em>"<em>_Mother!" Echo looked around frantically, searching for the prime. The rocks were still falling. Down into the ravine below they fell, crashing into the sharp spikes. Echo jumped to and fro, avoiding the boulders. "Mother!" _

_Still no response came as the avalanche increased. But, the young Autobot spotted a flash of silver from the corner of her optic. Her gaze flickered in a panic to find Solus. She kept searching until the form of Solus Prime came into view. Her mother was barely holding onto the edge of the cliff, her determination in her gaze. "Solus!" Echo pounced out of the way of a crashing rock and tried to reach her carrier, but was blocked when the ground began to cave from underneath her. _

_Echo transformed into a maximal and used her strong claws to scale the falling debris. But by the time she regained her balance, Solus was now only hanging by one servo. She started slipping. Echo was mere inches away from saving the prime before a servo smacked her out of the way. Two red optics smirked as the femme stood back up. _

_But it was too late. A rock tumbled from above a fell towards the desperate prime. "Nooo!" Echo cried as the silver fembot disappeared from view. She turned around and gazed up at the mech. He swatted her once more, sending her sprawling towards the gaping crack in the earth._

_To be continued..._

**Theme: "To Die For" by Hans Zimmer **


	10. The Plight of a Prime

**Chapter 10: The Plight of a Prime **

_The femme accepted her fate and waited for the tendrils of death to consume her. But no such comfort came. A servo caught her by the hide leg and dragged her limp body back to safety. Echo's optics slowly opened to witness her savior. The angry, red optics softened, his form shrinking into that of a sparkling maximal as red turned to blue. Her son's optics, so filled with concern, so innocent and yet to be tainted. _

_Echo wanted so dearly to embrace her child, but she felt her life ebbing away as if she had taken a shot to the spark. "Mother?" the sparkling croaked as his mother's optics began to flicker in between the current life and the dead. "Wherever you are," Echo looked to the mech, speaking with her last few breaths, "Please come home, my son." _

_Her optics closed and her body faded into a grim gray. The sparkling's optics dimmed and coolant flowed down his faceplates. He snuggled up next to his mother, nuzzling her cheek plate. But within mere seconds, his optics returned to their maroon state, his teeth bearing as he growled. The mech's form grew and a murderous gaze filled his optics. _

_Echo took in a sharp intake as her optics opened to reveal the horror. The Autobot base was in ruins, ash covering every last inch. Smoke arose from the dead fires, blowing into the wind like unkempt secrets. Echo could smell the rotten aroma of death. It tempted curiosity, leading the femme to search for the source. She made her way towards a ring of debris, which seemed to be manually placed. If her dream had allowed her to scream, she would have damaged her own voice box. _

_A river of energon flowed from the deceased bodies. Their optics still wide from the ambush, their mouths open in the same shock. Echo walked over to the scout's long dead form. She caressed his cheek plate, her hands running over his marred body. Her lips met his forehelm. Echo laid her helm down onto his chest to cry. _

_A warm atmosphere settled upon the dark mood. Echo was thrown far away from the tendrils of light. Voices of a thousand singing men and women sang as the light enveloped the bodies. Their wounds melded away, turning into fresh metal. The light closed the open optics and mouths and placed the Autobots gently down. Echo sat from afar, watching with a wide gaze. Bumblebee's optics opened and looked to the femme. _

_She attempted to back away, to hide herself from him, but he wouldn't have it. The scout got up and quickly closed the distance between them. He held her servos in his, "Please come back. I need you. We all need you." _

_Echo glanced over his shoulder at all of the waking bots. "Where is Optimus?" Echo asked. Bumblebee looked down at his peddes, "He died in the explosion." A few coolant tears fell from Echo's face, but she remained still. "You are the next prime," the scout said, wiping away the tears. Echo couldn't object, only see the blue energy wrap around her. She looked at her servos, which were enveloped in it. Every inch of her body began to sparkle and illuminate. _

_Echo looked up and saw thirteen figures standing above the clouds. They all looked down to her, speaking with one voice, "Sonus Prima." _

_Suddenly, the blue turned to yellow, and Echo was lifted off her peddes into a ball of bright energy. _

_All of her fellow Autobots below gazed in awe at the scene. _

_The light faded, and Echo was laid down on the earth, her optics closed. Bumblebee stepped forward and knelt down, caressing her cheek. His thumb stroked her face and his expression pleaded for her to wake up. _

_Echo's tail twitched and Bumblebee smiled. Two baby blue optics opened and met his. _

Bumblebee sat up sharply in his berth and looked around. He glanced at the time and got off the bed, stretching. _"Another day of searching,"_ he told himself, optics narrowing in determination. Outside in the hallway, Arcee was walking towards the med bay. _"Hey, 'Cee?" _

The femme turned around and smiled, "Good morning, Bumblebee." The scout nodded and stepped closer, _"I wanted to apologize about earlier. I'm just so worried about her."_ Arcee smiled empathetically and patted Bumblebee's servos, "It's okay, 'Bee. Echo will come back when she does. In the meantime, you should focus on your charge and fighting the Decepticons."

_"Do you think I'm the reason she left?"_ the scout's face fell regret and guilt in his optics. "Of course not," Arcee grimaced, "She left on her own accord, not want others did. If anything, she would come back because of you."

Bumblebee looked around, pondering. "_I think I might know a way to do that."_

Mrs. Darby barely jumped when someone knocked on the door. Still frightened from the event that occurred just a couple weeks ago, she cautiously made her way to the entrance to the house. After confirming who it was with a peek outside the door, June opened it. "Echo," she said with an excited tone, "I haven't seen you in weeks!" The femme smiled as the human mother embraced her tightly.

"Yes, I have been away for awhile," Echo said once she pulled away and caught her breath, "I hope I haven't come at a bad time." Mrs. Darby waved the comment off, "Of course not. Please, come in. Make yourself comfortable while I grab you something to eat."

"Thank you," the Autobot nodded and took a seat on the sofa.

After about a minute, June came back in with a turkey sandwich from the deli and a glass of water, "Here you go." Echo smiled at the lunch, "Thank you, Mrs. Darby. I've missed human food so much." The femme took a decent bite of the sandwich and listened.

"So, Jack told me that you've been gone from base for the past two weeks," June said with a slight tone that inquired an explanation. Echo's smiled faded and she finished her bite, washing it down with a sip from her glass. "I ran away, actually," the femme said with guilt. "Why?"

"I couldn't handle being there with the mistakes I've made," Echo said her gaze now looking at the floor, "Or being around the people I've hurt."

June patted the young femme's shoulders, "Everyone makes mistakes. It takes a true hero to accept them and move on. Ripping yourself from the people you love won't make you feel better. And separating yourself from the people who love you will only make the wound larger."

Echo felt as though she knew who the human mother was talking about, "How has he been?"

"Bumblebee has been searching for you ever since you left," Mrs. Darby sat back in her seat with a sigh, "You know, that boy has to be in love with you."

"And I him," Echo mumbled underneath her breath, "But my past with only haunt me until the very venom that started this war will take its toll on me and my family."

"Family?" June's brow furrowed, "I'm sure your sister is safe with Optimus and his team."

Echo shook her helm, "There's more than that. I have a younger brother that has joined the Decepticons and is currently missing. I have a cousin that I don't know where he is. And my father has been MIA for over a vorn. Not to mention that my son has been raised as a Decepticon his whole life." Echo forgot to mute out the last part. Mrs. Darby's eyes widened in shock, "You're a mother? But you're so young!"

"I may seem like a teenager, Mrs. Darby," Echo sighed, "But in your Earth years, I am many, many years older than the eldest person currently alive on your planet."

"Who is your son?"

"I do not know," Echo sighed, "I never met him. While I was held captive by the Decepticons, they took him from my birthing chamber and must have kept him hidden from the eyes of the Autobots."

"Well," June looked around, "How do you know this?"

"My dreams have told me. My telepathic connection with my sister has helped to confirm it. I do know who the father is."

"Who?"

Echo looked up at June with a half smile, "My deceased sparkmate."

**Theme: "Yellow Flicker Beat" by Lorde  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>an: Yes, it has been a long time. But, I had to focus on finals and couldn't get much out until today. Thanks for reading! Btw, please vote on the polls I have posted. It'll help push the production of "Bumblebee's Promise" by a TON. **

**Until next time,**

**-Darth Echo **


	11. One Possibility

**Chapter 11: One Possibility**

_"__Nexus Prime was known as the trickster prime, was he not?" Bluespark snickered, "Perhaps he has been playing a long game of hide and seek with us, sister." Echo shook her helm in amusement, "That is one possibility." Bluespark smirked and hopped off the berth, going over to sit on the sofa with the black femme. "So," she started with a mischievous tone, "What is in store for this dream, Sonus?" _

_Echo narrowed her optics at the nickname, though still smiling, "Perhaps Smokescreen might make an appearance. I have not seen him in my visions in over a week." Bluespark shrugged, "Well, the scout has been occupying your processor recently." Echo nodded and sighed, "Yes, the more recent dreams have been quite perplexing." _

_"__I didn't see the vision," Bluespark tilted her helm curiously, "What happened, sister?" _

_"__I would rather not say," the older femme inhaled and shook her helm, "But I will tell you that it has something to do with the prophecy." Bluespark sat back in her seat, "But it cannot come true unless the Three are together." _

_"__In which case the One will receive the title of prime and savior," Echo said with narrowed optics. "Who became prime, Echo?" Bluespark's optics pleaded for an answer, "The Wise, The Strong, or The Brave?" Echo only blinked, as if she hadn't heard her sister's question. "Echo, we can't be jealous of each other. Whoever receives the title is the one who deserves it." _

_"__Yes, but what if our Decepticon brother receives it?" Echo snapped, glaring at her sister. Bluespark looked away, "Then that is the will of the Primes." Echo shook her helm and stood up, flicking her tail. "We have to leave." _

_"__What?" Bluespark looked up, a frown on her faceplates, "What do you mean?" _

_"__We need to find our brother," the black Autobot faced Bluespark, "We need to find Max before any permanent damage takes place." The blue femme sighed, "But we don't even know if he's on Earth. If he's even still alive." _

_"__Blue, that's bullshit and you know it." _

_"__Okay, maybe not the last part, but he may be on Cybertron for all we know." _

_Echo turned to reply, but her sister was nowhere to be found. "Blue?" she called looking frantically around the room. _

_"__Mom?"_

_The black femme glanced at the door and smiled, "What do you need, Sweetspark?" Her son walked into the room with a gloom look about his faceplates, "It's sire." Echo frowned and stepped towards the mech, placing a servo on his shoulder, "What do you mean?" _

_"__They found his body in the rubble." _

"No!" Echo sat up in the chair. Cassy and Artemis sprang from their spots on the floor, growling. "What's wrong?" Cassy demanded, looking around for danger. "No," Echo whispered this time, clutching her chest. Her spark throbbed and dimmed a little, her eyes flickering in pain. The femme tried to stand up, but fell on the floor, moaning.

"Master!" Cassy barked, running to her side. Echo whimpered in pain and clutched her chest even tighter. The fembot turned to her pet, "Find Bluespark before it's too late."

**Theme: "My Heart Will Go On" from Titanic **


	12. Strange Things Did Happen Here

**Chapter 12: Strange Things Did Happen Here...**

_Bluespark looked on as her sister played a game of hide and seek with the mech. She stepped around the house, peeking in every corner and behind every curtain. The black femme didn't seem to notice the older version of her sister following her. "C'mon, Smokescreen," Echo giggled, "You've been hidden for over an hour." _

_Suddenly the femme got an idea. She raced up the stairs of the mansion. At the very end of the hallway she faced was a storage closet. Tip-toeing over to it, Echo slowly turned the knob. Smokescreen popped from behind the door and tackled her. Both young bots laughed. Smokescreen started to tickle the femme, causing her to try to roll up into a ball. "S-s-stop," Echo tried to say in between giggles. Bluespark smiled, thinking about how happy the mech made her sister. _

_The mech ceased his attack and waited for Echo to catch her breath. The two then just stared at each other, blue optics meeting blue optics. _

"Bluespark!"

The femme opened her eyes to see Cassy standing over her. "Cassy, how'd you get here?" Bluespark asked as the wolf hopped off the berth and onto the ground. "That doesn't matter," Cassy responded, growling, "But you better hurry and get to Echo."

"Why?" Bluespark's optics widened as the two rushed to the door, "What happened?"

Cassy looked up and whimpered, "Spark-attack."

* * *

><p>Echo finally made it through the pain once Artemis came over and snuggled up to her. The warmth of another spark helped Echo push away the suffering. A howl came from the mouth of the cave and Echo looked over to see her sister rushing towards her. "Sister!" Bluespark knelt down and rested a servo on her sister's shoulder, "What happened?"<p>

"I learned the truth," Echo used her sister to boost her into a standing position, "And lost half my will in the process." Bluespark almost cried, "No, if you die, then…"

"The Autobots will lose this war," Echo finished for her, "And everything we know and love is as good as gone."

"You're right," Bluespark looked down, "We have to go." Echo nodded and turned to her computer, shutting it off. "It's best we go now before the others realize you're missing."

* * *

><p><em>Fire and flames. Two femmes. One black. One white. They were standing, facing each other filled with hate. Bumblebee was held back far away, being tortured by the conflict. Echo stood, dripping energon from her wounds as she protected something. Felidae kept slashing and punching, each shot more damaging than the last. Bumblebee tried to call out, but his voice was silenced. Finally, the white Decepticon ripped the bundle from Echo's servos and kicked her off the edge of the cliff. <em>

_Tears welled in the scout's optics, but rage soon took their place. Felidae looked down at the bundle. A small, yellow sparkling. "How cute," Felidae looked up at Bumblebee and smirked, "But too small." She looked over the edge where it's carrier had fallen to her death, "Perhaps he should join his mother." Bumblebee could only feel his spark shatter as the white fembot threw the bundle over the edge. _

_"__Echo,"_ Bumblebee whispered as his optics opened, "_What have we done?"_

**Theme: "Hanging Tree" by Jennifer Lawrence **


	13. No Stranger Would It Be

**Chapter 13: No Stranger Would It Be**

A black Dodge Charger pulled into a gas station, followed by a blue and silver Corvette and a silver motorcycle with a driver wearing a green, skin-tight suit. The driver of the black vehicle stepped out, taking off her sunglasses. "Is this necessary?" A girl appeared from the blue car, physically similar to the other woman. "Yes," she replied, "I need to call the kids and let them know what happened."

"How do you know they won't tell the others?" the green driver asked, taking off her helmet, revealing brown eyes and blonde hair. "Cassy, I trust them," the brown-haired driver responded. "Echo, you know Raf tells Bumblebee everything," the younger girl with dark brown hair added. Echo frowned, "True, but I'm sure we can work something out, Blue."

"They'll want to see you," Cassy sighed, "It's been a month since we left." Echo grimaced at her pet's holoform, "And we still haven't been able to track down the _Nemesis_." Bluespark grunted, "Can we get a holoform for your Predacon? She's messing up my backseat." Echo walked over to the Corvette and opened the door, revealing the white sparkling. She was getting larger, and could barely fit in the car without breaking it. "She would still have to be in your car," the oldest femme said, smiling at the young Predacon.

"Fine," Bluespark rolled her blue eyes and huffed, "But as soon as we can find her an appropriate alt mode, we're doing it!" Cassy snickered and looked at the telephone outside the mini store, "You better get going. We can't risk being in one place for too long." Echo nodded, "Make sure to feed Artemis in the meantime."

While Echo walked up to the pay phone, Cassy walked over to the black car and opened the back seat door, where the femme had a stash of energon cubes.

The black fembot placed a quarter in the slot and dialed Rafael's number. "Hello?" his young voice came. "Uh, it's Echo," the femme tried not to choke up. "Echo! Oh my gosh! We've all missed you!" the boy went wild, speaking a million miles an hour. Echo laughed slightly, "So how have you guys been?"

"Um, well," Raf calmed down, now sad, "Kinda depressed and down on moral, to be honest." Echo frowned, "What do you mean moral?" It was quiet for a few moments, "He's changed, Echo."

"Who?" the femme asked, though fearful of the answer. "Bumblebee, he's," the young boy paused, "More ruthless, if you put it that way." Echo shook her head and pressed it against the telephone case, "Explain."

"Last time they faced the Cons," Raf whispered as if he were transferring classified intel, "He went after all of them, even the unarmed ones. Optimus had to send him back to base for…behavior issues." The femme couldn't have felt a greater clench in her stomach. "Tell him for me," Echo exhaled deeply, "Please tell him for me that I'm okay…that I miss him. But I can't come back until I've figured a few things out. Don't tell anyone else, though. But do say hello to Jack and Miko for me." Raf inhaled, "I will, I promise."

"Thank you," Echo closed her eyes, "Good bye Raf, and stay safe."

"I'll see you soon?"

"I promise."

"Echo, you better come quick!" Bluespark shouted. Echo hung up the phone and ran out to where her sister was staring at the sky. "What is it?"

The femme got her answer as she looked to where her sibling was gazing. A large object was hurtling towards a far off canyon. As the fembots looked closer, they saw that it wasn't just any object. It was a Cybertronian ship.

* * *

><p>The three vehicles pulled up to the crash site. They were determined to find any survivors before humans got to it. Echo was the first to transform. She headed down the slope and walked around multiple puddles of energon and oil. The ship was massive, and had the markings of an Elite Guardsman cruiser – which Echo had used during her time in the force. The femme's knowledge of the craft led her to the access panel at the bottom of the ship, as it had crashed upside-down.<p>

Bluespark, Cassy, and Artemis stayed on the edge of the crater until the black femme gave them the thumbs up. Artemis and Cassy guarded the outside while Bluespark hopped into the ship with Echo. Inside, they were met with a hallway that interconnected multiple passageways. Oil dripped from above them, splashing into puddles below. Echo took point and started stepping cautiously towards the cockpit.

The metal doors were sealed, and Echo saw that the control panel was fried. "What do we do?" Bluespark whispered, "Knock?" Echo shrugged and pondered for a moment, "If there are injured Autobots in there, we should bust down the door."

"How?"

Echo smirked and looked at her wrists, "The usual." Bluespark returned the smirk and covered her audio receptors. The black femme exhaled and focused. A blue ball of energy formed in her palm. Echo walked to the door and let the orb float towards it. Once it was stable, Echo braced herself and let her scream come out. The sound wave was powerful and strong, causing the ship to shake slightly.

The energy orb amplified the sound, making the door creak. As Echo kept screaming, the door started to kink and bend. Eventually, the metal could not withstand the pressure and collapsed inwards.

Echo stopped her power and retrieved the orb. Bluespark removed her servos, though still a bit dizzy.

Inside was the bridge, a large room filled with Cybertronian tech and a viewport. It was still upside down, and all Echo and Bluespark could see through the viewport was rock and sand. But underneath the pilot and co-pilot's chairs lie two femmes. Echo couldn't help the smile spreading across her faceplates as she recognized the paint jobs. "By the AllSpark!" the femme and her sister ran over to the unconscious Cybertronians.

"You know them?" Bluespark asked, checking one's pulse. Both of the still femmes were still alive, likely knocked out from the impact. "I do," Echo smiled, shaking one that was black with orange stripes. The femme groaned and her optics opened slowly. As soon as she recognized Echo, she gasped, "You're alive!"

"Me? You're alive!" Echo shouted, waking up the other femme, who was a dark red with a black protoform. "Echo?" the femme exclaimed. "Wait, who are these femmes?" Bluespark asked, raising a brow.

"Blue, this is Jetwing," Echo gestured to the orange femme, "She and I practically grew up together." Echo then looked at the red fembot, "And this is Darkblaze. She's Smokescreen's older sister. I met her about the same time as him. She fought with me in the Battle of Praxus."

Bluespark looked at the two new femmes and smiled, "Nice to meet you." Darkblaze returned the gesture and spoke in her light Scottish accent, "I've heard many great things about you. A pleasure it is to finally meet you." Jetwing smirked, "And she looks like ya, too, Echo."

The black Autobot laughed and shook her helm, "She does."

"Was anyone else with you?" Bluespark asked. Darkblaze rolled her optics and answered, "Sharpeye and Silverwing."

Echo pretended to puke out her tanks. Darkblaze smiled, "Yep, Jet over here begged me to bring Sharpeye." Jetwing frowned, "I did not!" The dark red fembot smirked, "Did, too." The sound of a crunch caused all four femmes to turn their heads to the doorframe. A bulky, white and silver mech was carefully stepping over the crushed door, "Kinda weird for a landing, don't you think?"

"Sorry, Silver," Darkblaze called out, "You know I can't drive straight when you and Sharp are being lob-heads." The mech glared and fake pouted. Echo spoke, "Speaking of, where is that lugnut?"

Silverwing laughed, "He's out cold in the energon supply closet." Jetwing and Darkblaze grunted, "Again?"

"Yep."

Echo stood up and walked over to hug the mech, "It's good to see you again." Silverwing returned the embrace, "I'm glad to see you alive after all of these years." Darkblaze and Jetwing got up as well, steadying themselves.

"Um, Echo," Bluespark called, "We better hurry before the humans get here." The three new faces grimaced, "Humans? What's that?"

"I'll explain later," Echo said, pushing them all out the door, "Go get Sharpeye and meet me outside."

* * *

><p>Cassy and Artemis called out to the Autobots as they emerged from the ship. "Two helicopters incoming!" Cassy said, keeping an eye on the far away black dots in the sky. Echo growled and climbed out of the ditch with Silverwing's help. "I hope that's Fowler," the femme grunted, helping the others out.<p>

Darkblaze and Jetwing pulled up a mech with blue and green stripes down his white armor. "His new paintjob makes him look like Wheeljack," Darkblaze commented as she and the orange fembot grunted from the weight of the mech. Once he was out of the crater, Echo quickly inspected him so she could wake him up. "We need to get moving before the choppers get here."

The black Autobot turned to her fellow warriors, "can you scan Bluespark's alt mode so we can get out of here quicker?" The three Cybertronians waited for the blue femme to convert and did so.

Echo shook Sharpeye, trying to wake the lug up. He eventually moaned. The femme slapped him, which woke him up quickly. He shot up, glaring. When he spotted Echo, he smiled, but she shoved him. "I need you to copy my alt mode and follow us now!" The femme transformed and he scanned her vehicle. Artemis hopped into Bluespark's back seat and the seven cars raced off. By now, the helicopters were much closer, but the Autobots were able to escape onto the highway.

* * *

><p>"So, a Predacon, huh?" Sharpeye asked after being given information on the past two years. Echo smiled, "Yeah, guess I got lucky." Silverwing chuckled, "Sure, having to feed and hide a megaton pet is lucky." Darkblaze glared at the stars in the sky, "So you don't know what happened to my brother?" Echo looked down at her peddes, "The last time I heard of him was the night before the incident."<p>

Jetwing placed a comforting servo on her friend's shoulder, "I'm sure he's still out there somewhere." Sharpeye smiled slightly, "You'd know, Echo." Bluespark raised an optic ridge and looked at her sister, "They know?"

"Of course," Echo lightened up, "These guys are my pals. I would tell them anything." Silverwing chuffed at her comment, "Yeah, we are pretty tight."

"That is," Jetwing sighed, "Until the Battle of Tyger Pax." All five buddies exhaled and nodded. "What happened?" Bluespark asked. "I was captured by the Decepticons," Echo said," And by the time I was rescued, the Exodus happened."

"'Blaze and I stumbled upon these two a couple months ago," Silverwing gesture to Sharpeye and Jetwing. "Everyone in the Guard reported Echo MIA," Darkblaze added. "I had actually escaped on _The Panther_," Echo smiled. "Oh, so that's why we found it floating in space outside Nexus II," Sharpeye laughed and everyone joined in. Echo looked down where Cassy was lying at her side, "I'm glad I didn't leave you on board."

Sharpeye looked at Echo's pet, "You know, I wish I still had Donovan." Echo tilted her helm, "You're dog?" The mech nodded and smiled, "I'm sure Cassy here would love his company."

Darkblaze rolled her optics, "You brought him on board the ship, stupid." All of the Autobots paused and then looked at each other. "Wait," Darkblaze said, optics wide open.

"Well, fuck!"

* * *

><p>"I can't believe you guys left Donovan on the ship," Jetwing called out as the group sped down the highway. "It's not my fault," Sharpeye growled, stepping hard on the gas. "He's your pet!" Darkblaze retorted. Silverwing and Echo mentally rolled their optics, trying to mute out the bickering trio. "Have they been like this the whole time?" Echo asked. Silverwing grunted, "The <em>whole<em> trip." The black femme snickered, "Well, hopefully it'll pass now that you're all not cramped on that ship."

"We're almost there," Cassy, who was leading the group, reported, "Only a couple more minutes. "I'm sure the humans will have scowered that whole ship," Echo growled, "They might have even taken it somewhere else."

"What about that Agent Fowler you were telling us about?" Sharpeye asked, "Maybe he was in one of the helicopters."

"Possibly," Echo paused, "It would be worse if the other Autobots were there. Optimus will already have my head for leaving base and running rogue. Taking four Autobots on my vendetta won't help much." Bluespark giggled, "I left, too. He can be as cross as he wants, but he can't deny two of the Three their rights."

"Oh yeah, how's that going?" Silverwing asked, teasingly. "C'mon, Silver, lighten up," Darkblaze rushed the mech slightly towards the right. He swerved back onto the road and chuckled, "I'm just asking 'Blaze." Jetwing chuffed, "Keep your optics on the road, you two can flirt later."

"Excuse me," Darkblaze huffed, "But you aren't the most humble either, missy. Might I remind you who begged me to bring Sharpeye aboard my ship?"

"Okay, lock it down," Echo ordered. "Geez, yes, sir," Silverwing laughed, "Didn't know you still had your commander voice in you." Echo let out a small laugh quietly. "Okay, when we get back," Jetwing smiled, "We should party like old times." The other cheered in agreement.

"Party?" Bluespark felt like an outsider. "We usually tell stories, sing, and drink oil," Echo answered, rolling her optics at the last part. "Cool," the blue femme responded.

"Take a left," Cassy called to everyone. The group pulled off the road and started driving past the large rock formations. Soon, they came to the crater. The ship was still there, seeming untouched.

"Okay, Silverwing, Cassy, you're with me," Echo said, gesturing towards the access panel. The two Cybertronians followed her into the ship. The hallway was just as they had left it. "I wonder what they did," Silverwing whispered as the trio headed towards the barracks. "This is where you guys last saw Donovan, right?"

The silver mech nodded and they continued on, opening up Sharpeye's quarters. "Hmm, this is like hide and seek like you, me, and Smoke would always play." Echo stopped and pain flashed across her face before she smiled, "Yeah, I guess so." Silverwing saw her expression and placed a servo on her shoulder, "He's alive, Echo. We all know he's too stubborn not to make it." The femme pulled away, "Silver, it's not that easy to just think that. I've accepted that he's dead for stellar cycles."

Cassy suddenly growled and crouched down, crawling into the bedroom. Silverwing and Echo peeked in, only to see a black Cybertronian wolf creeping towards Cassy. "C'mon, you two," Echo rolled her optics, "Knock it off." Donovan looked up and beamed, recognizing the femme, "Echo!" The dog came over and tried to jump on Echo, but Cassy blocked him. "Back off, mutt!" she growled.

Echo calmed her pet down, "It's okay. This is Donovan." Cassy relaxed a little bit, but still kept a stern glare on the mech.

* * *

><p>Bumblebee was on his way to pick Rafael up to go to school. He ran a few red lights, but he didn't care. As he pulled up to the drive way, he accidentally knocked over the neighbor's trashcan. A few minutes later, the young boy came out of the house and spotted the mess. He frowned and hopped into Bumblebee's backseat, putting on his seatbelt. "'Bee?" he started, "What happened to Mr. Johnson's trashcan?" Bumblebee started his engines and drove down the street, "<em>Uh, I guess someone tipped it over<em>." Raf shook his head and looked out the window, "Okay."

"_What's on your mind_?" the scout asked, seeing his charge's dismay. "I have no idea how to put this," Raf sighed, "I got a call from Echo." Bumblebee's tires screeched as he hit the brakes, "_What_?"

"She called me from a pay phone."

"_What'd she say_?" Bumblebee asked, his beeps a mere whimper. "She wanted me to tell you something," Raf answered. "_Go ahead_," the yellow mech said after composing himself. "She misses you," the young boy said, tears welling in his eyes, "But she isn't coming back."

Bumblebee started his engines again and went silent. The whole ride to the school, he didn't speak a word. Not to even tell Rafael to have a good day at school, like usual. The scout then decided to take a little detour before heading back to base. He arrived at the cliff and transformed. A few feet away from the edge had something carved into the rock.

The mech walked over and sat down next to the heart. Inside had both their initials. Bumblebee looked at his wrist, a common habit. "_I miss you, too_," he said as a coolant tear dropped onto the rock. "I hope you come back," the scout whispered, pounding a fist into the ground. "_Nothing's the same without you here_."

**_She will come back…_**

The mech looked around frantically, "_Who's there_?"

**_My son, you are troubled…_**

Bumblebee looked down at his peddes in guilt, "_I have done so many wrong things_."

**_Then why do you keep doing them?_**

The mech frowned, "_She usually kept me in check. And now she's not here_."

**_You cannot expect her to carry so much weight on her shoulders._**

"_I know, but I still wish she was here_," Bumblebee whispered, tracing the heart.

**_She will come back….for you…_**

**_You sired two daughters…_**

Bumblebee looked up in shock, coolant pouring from his optics, "_I wish I hadn't interfaced with Echo at all. It was stupid and caused so much pain_."

**_You will have another child one day, my son…_**

"_But what if there's another miscarriage_?"

**_There won't be…I will bless your child…_**

Bumblebee's face fell, "_Echo and I have already decided to start over. I'm positive there isn't a chance for me any longer_."

**_You both hold back your feelings…_**

"_Does she love me? As much as I do her_?"

**_The love you share for each other is rivaled, but strong…_**

**_Keep your faith, my son, for you shall see the light…_**

Bumblebee felt as though a great weight has been lifted, only for another one to replace it. "_Rivaled?_" He whispered with narrowed optics. _Rivaled?_

**Theme: "Demons" by Imagine Dragons**

* * *

><p><strong>an: The last two chapters were quite short. Sorry about that. But I stayed up late to write this for you guys :) I hope y'all are enjoying this series. It has really been quite the adventure, hasn't it? Echo is now traveling with her friends in search of Iodine Maximo. Bumblebee is still grieving and suffering the mark he and Echo made. What's going to happen next in this drama? **

**Valkyrie497: Yep, this is one of the reasons this story has the rating that it does. Trust me, that's not the worst it's going to get. No spoilers, but you haven't seen the darkest corner of the realm just yet ;) I'm glad you like it! At least I know it's not a bad disturbing. BTW, I hardly know myself what just happened in that last chapter...sigh **

**Until next time,**

**-Darth Echo **


	14. Destiny: Part I

**Destiny Part I **

"Let's get this party started!" Sharpeye cheered. All the mechs and femmes joined the call and pounded their fists in the air. "Echo," Silverwing turned to the black femme, "Will you do us the honors?" Echo smirked and created two balls of energy, one in each palm. "Jazz or pop?" she asked as she placed the two sound absorbers a few feet away from each other.

Darkblaze and Jetwing looked at each other with a mischievous smirk, "Both." Echo smiled, "Very well then." As the heavy beat and what sounded like a saxophone boomed from the amplifiers, the Cybertronians started dancing to it, like they did countless times before and during the war.

After a few minutes of hollering and laughing at bad dance moves, Echo turned to her sister, who was staying mostly to herself. "How do you like an Elite Guard party so far?" she asked with a smile. Bluespark smiled slightly, "A little left out. I don't know these people that well. And, I've never really partied before." Echo patted her sister on the shoulder, "You'll get used to it, but don't drink oil. That is mostly for the mechs. Very un-femmelike to get drunk in public."

Bluespark nodded and looked back at the party. "Such a shame Bluegear wasn't with them this time," Echo said, smiling mischievously. "Who's Bluegear?" Bluespark asked, raising an optic ridge. Echo's smile widened, "Oh, just a mech your age. His ship was shot in space during the Exodus. None of us have heard from him since. He's very capable and strong. Surely a mech worth your attention?" Her younger sibling frowned and playfully punched her arm, "Echo, I don't need a mech, thank you."

"Hey," Echo shrugged, "It's an idea. Perhaps you'll have those thoughts one day, my dear sister." As the black femme went back to the party, Bluespark looked off in the distance with a gloom look.

* * *

><p>"And then," Jetwing continued with her story, "The big lug Megatron showed up with his special dispatch of Seekers. I called up to Echo where she and her sniper squad were to ask for backup, but then Megatron blew up the bridge. She and her team fell to the ground and that's when Echo and I started fighting the Cons face to face. I think Silverwing was the first mech to get knocked out." Everyone laughed except the white mech.<p>

"Excuse me," he chuffed, "But that is _not_ what happened." Bluespark tilted her helm, "How did you get your name? You don't have an airborne alt mode." Silverwing smiled, "Actually, I did. For a few months, I was a spy disguised as one of Megatron's Seekers. Same goes for Jetwing." Bluespark nodded in admiration.

"I got my name from my color scheme," Darkblaze pointed out. "I was just Jet until my spy missions," Jetwing commented. Sharpeye spoke up next, "I was an Elite Sniper, and I got my name from my ability to shoot down a Seeker from across a battlefield."

"I already know yours," Bluespark smirked at her older sister. "Well, why don't you tell us how you got your name, Blue?" Darkblaze asked, obviously not knowing the story behind Echo and Bluespark. "Um," the blue femme started, but couldn't speak the words.

"It was after the Battle of Praxus," Echo said, looking at Darkblaze, "Solus was severely injured when Megatron found the hospital she was in. They rushed her to a medical facility in Iacon where she spent her last breaths giving birth to Blue."

"Echo named me," Bluespark added softly, playing with a couple rocks next to her. "Oh, I'm so sorry," Darkblaze's expression fell into sorrow. "Don't worry," Echo sighed, "We've learned to cope with it."

"If that hadn't happened, we wouldn't have you here with us, Blue," Silverwing placated. Bluespark gave him a thankful smile.

"How about you continue your story, Jet?" Echo grinned. The orange-striped femme return the gesture and cleared her throat, "Well, then we saw something out of the corner of our optics. Optimus had sent the AllSpark offworld. Megatron threw a fit of rage and starting picking us off one by one. Echo was captured by Starscream and his Armada, so I continued on by myself. Megatron seemed really interested in this yellow mech."

Echo froze, but continued listening to the story. "I tried to stop Megatron, but was swatted away. It was horrid. Before I went into recharge, all I saw was Megatron rip out the poor scout's throat. Pipes broken and energon spilt everywhere."

"He's a monster," Darkblaze said with a disgusted look on her faceplates.

"I wonder if that mech survived," Sharpeye commented with a sympathetic frown. Echo looked down at her peddes, "He did." Everyone watched as the femme stood up and walked away from the camp, silent. "What's wrong with her?" Jetwing asked Bluespark. Cassy and Artemis followed the solemn femme. "She's very close with that mech and doesn't like to hear that story," Bluespark answered, sighing.

"Really?" Silverwing raised an optic ridge, "Is he here on Earth?"

"Yep," Bluespark nodded, "He's back at base, but Echo doesn't want to go back." Darkblaze shrugged, "Well, Optimus would punish her greatly for being gone for so long. It's been – what? – two months since she's been there?"

"Around there," the blue femme nodded.

"So, where's the oil?" Sharpeye asked, receiving a round of laughter.

* * *

><p>Echo sat on the edge of the cliff, Cassy and Artemis on either side of her. "I've messed up so bad, you guys," she said to her pets, patting their helms. Cassy whimpered and Artemis placed her head in Echo's lap. "I want to make everything right again, but I don't know how."<p>

The femme smiled when she felt the familiar warmth and light.

_**Everything will come together again, my child…**_

"My Lord," Echo bowed her head, "I know I am not worthy, but may I ask as to why I have come into this?"

**_Because I have deemed it so…I have a path for you…_**

"A path?"

**_Yes, you will be the echo that brings the light of freedom…_**

"Me? But what about my sister? My brother?"

**_They will play their parts…but you will be the ultimate leader…a prime…_**

"So the destiny of the Three has already been decided?"

**_You shall be Sonus Prima, savior of your people…_**

"Thank you, Lord." Echo blinked, "What must I do?"

**_Find your brother and son… _**

"Where are they?"

**_Your son and brother are both Decepticons now…_**

"How will I know who my son is?"

**_You have seen him in your dreams…_**

"May I know his name?"

**_Your visions will speak it in due time…_**

"I understand."

**_Return to the Autobots before it's too late…_**

"What do you mean?"

**_Before you return, the fate of one you hold dear will be in your hands…_**

"Bumblebee?"

**_Perhaps…time will guide you…_**

"How long do I have?"

**_All that is necessary…now go…_**

"It will be done, my Lord."

_To be continued in Destiny: Part II..._

* * *

><p><strong>an: Alright, I know I've been pumping out chapters like crazy, but I want to get out as many as I can before school starts again. At that point, I may or may not have the time to write as second semester gets crazy and our schedules change. **

**Until next time,**

**-Darth Echo **


	15. Destiny: Part II

**Destiny: Part II**

"Sorry, guys," Echo said, coming back to camp with a smile, "I just had to clear my thoughts." Silverwing smirked, "As usual." The femme flashed him a warning, yet playful, glare. Cassy padded over and settled next to Bluespark, only a few feet away from Donovan, who stared at her. Artemis crawled into Echo's lap, though she was getting a bit big for that.

"What's the plan?" Darkblaze asked, looking towards the black femme. "First," she replied, looking each mech and femme in the optics, "We need to track down the Decepticon ship, the _Nemesis_." A round of nods encouraged her to continue, "And then, we'll have to either commandeer it or find a way to retract information from the database without being noticed."

"If we try to get aboard that ship," Jetwing started, "We'll most likely be spotted. There's no way to camouflage our energon signatures. They would probably detect a jammer if we used one."

"You know Megatron fortifies the hangar bay," Silverwing added. Echo nodded, "I know, but when Cassy and I snuck aboard the ship to save Bumblebee, we waited for them to pick up supplies at an energon mine."

"How does that work?" Sharpeye questioned, "There will be troops on the ground."

"We sneak past the guards and hop aboard the lift," Echo said whilst drawing the plan in the dirt, "From there, we have to take out the supervising Seekers. Silverwing, I need you to pretend to be a Con in case the bridge calls for a report. Hopefully they don't recognize your voice."

The mech nodded his approval and the femme continued, "Sharpeye, you and Jet will guard the entrance to the lift room while Darkblaze and I infiltrate the medical center. Take out anyone who comes in. If Megatron makes an appearance, call for back up, though I doubt he will."

"Seems like a decent plan," Sharpeye nodded his support, "But how are you going to be able to hack into the database without the code?"

"I have it from the last time I infiltrated the ship," Echo brought a digit to her helm to activate her projector. From her optics, an image of the code was displayed on the ground. "Perfect," Darkblaze exclaimed, scooting closer to the scene, "Do you know the kind of damage we could cause with this?" Everyone's optics filled with hope.

"Right," Echo said, "But first we need to track the warship down."

"You know," Jetwing brought up, "If the humans leave our ship alone and the Cons don't find it, we could fix it and use it to search."

"That'll take too long," Darkblaze grimaced, shaking her helm, "I might be a mechanic, but it'll take weeks to bring _Ghost II_ back into shape." The hope drained from all but one's optics. Echo smiled, "You know what?" Everyone turned to look at the femme. Echo glanced at Artemis and smirked, "I have an idea."

* * *

><p>"Echo," Bluespark called, "This is crazy!" Her sister rolled her optics and smiled, "It's a good plan." The black femme was inventing what looked to be a tracker with a comm. link attached to it. "Yeah, but she can't even fly yet," Bluespark's frown softened and she raised an optic ridge, "Can she?"<p>

Artemis extended her wings and flapped, but she didn't take flight. "See," Blue rolled her optics, "The poor thing can't fly. Let alone track a Decepticon warship."

Echo looked at the ship. The group had returned and found _Ghost II_ was still there, untouched once more. Darkblaze was lying on her back, using a wrench to fix an access panel on the side of the craft. Silverwing was inspecting the thrusters, which were no longer dripping energon. Sharpeye and Jetwing were inside the bridge, trying to restore power and function to _Ghost II_.

Echo got up from her sitting position at the bottom of the slope and walked over to Darkblaze, "Okay, so I have the comm. link working, but the tracker is jammed. Do you have something I can used to sync the signal to my data pad?"

The dark red femme stopped what she was doing and pondered for a second, "That would need a transmitter, but I don't have a spare one. Maybe we could go back to the Autobot base and—"

"No," Echo exclaimed, "I mean, it would take too long to get there anyway. It took me two weeks to get here." Darkblaze sighed and smiled, "Well, then we might as well wait until _Ghost II_ is up and running. Plus, your pet can't fly."

"She'll learn, soon," Echo glanced at the Predacon, who was still trying to figure it out, "Hopefully."

"What happened to your ship again?" the dark femme asked, continuing her task. "Failed engines," Echo replied, "Though there was something odd about it."

"Same," Darkblaze frowned, "Sharpeye thought we were being followed but I couldn't pick up anything on the scanners." Echo hummed in thought, "You know, that's what Red Kick said before I lost communication with her." Darkblaze raised an optic ridge, "What'd she say?"

"Red felt like she was being followed, but there was nothing on the scanners," the black femme replied. "Maybe it's something we should consider," Darkblaze grunted as a bolt came loose.

* * *

><p>In the bridge, Sharpeye removed a panel from the controls to inspect the wires. "Hey, Jet," the mech grunted, reaching up to fiddle with a few screws, "Can you hand me a wrench?" The femme stood up from fixing the ceiling power lines and walked over to the tool box. "Uh, sure," she said sheepishly. Jetwing paced over to the mech and handed him the tool. He looked down to her and smiled, taking it, "Thanks, Jet."<p>

She blushed and turned back to what she was doing previously, "No problem."

Darkblaze peeked her helm in the bridge, "How's it going in here?" Sharpeye loosened a few screws and stepped back as a block of wires fell down, hitting the upside-down ceiling. "Uh," he looked at the red femme with a scared look, "Good." The older Autobot shook her helm and stepped into the room. "Artemis would do a better job fixing power syncs," she muttered through gritted denta. "Hey," Sharpeye and Jetwing objected at the same time.

"The thrusters are scrapped," Silverwing said, walking into the bridge, "It'll take me a week to get them into decent shape." Darkblaze scoffed, "I've flown this ship for how many years. I can't believe this." The white mech frowned, "We'll fix it. At least it didn't explode after it crashed. You got lucky." The red femme sighed and closed her optic shudders, "I know, but we need this up ASAP if we want to help Echo. I know how important this is to her and the future of our race."

"You're right on that one, 'Blaze," Echo joined in the party, "If we don't find my brother, the cards favor the Decepticons."

"We might need some of your magic to win this game," Sharpeye commented, "Tricks, attacks, hacking….everything you've got." The group looked at each other, doubtful, yet willing. "This is going to be the hardest thing we'll ever do," Jetwing said, holding a screwdriver. "We've done recon and infiltration before," Silverwing looked at Echo. "But we've never commandeered and entire warship for data," Darkblaze finished for him.

"How are we supposed to do this when we're so outnumbered?" Sharpeye asked, continuing to "fix" the control panel. "Help from the inside," Echo whispered, "That's it!"

"What?" Silverwing frowned, "What are you talking about?" The black femme beamed, "Guys! If we have optics and audio receptors from the inside, we can take down that ship quicker than you could imagine." Darkblaze shrugged, "Sure, but how? Who?"

Echo sighed, "Well, you're not going to like this."

* * *

><p>"They escaped before our helicopters could identify them," Agent Fowler spoke through the video call. "Are you sure they didn't spot my lieutenant amongst them?" Prime asked sternly. "Positive," the human responded, "I'll tell the boys to keep an eye out for the rogues."<p>

"Thank you, Agent Fowler," Optimus sighed as the transmission cut off. Ratchet and Arcee looked to him as he turned around. "Any idea as to what she is doing?" the motorcycle asked. "Echo would not abandon base," the leader replied, "She has to be after something."

"I haven't been able to track her," Ratchet huffed, "Now I regret showing her how to hide her signal." Optimus ignored the comment, "We must find her and the other Autobots before Megatron does."

Arcee snickered, "Maybe she wants the Cons to find her." Optimus narrowed his optics and stared off, "Perhaps."

* * *

><p>Megatron stood on the bridge of the <em>Nemesis<em>, glaring out the viewport as usual. Starscream walked up behind him, "Master?" The large silver mech turned and grimaced, "What is it, Starscream?"

"Lord Megatron," the feeble Con bowed his helm, "A fellow Decepticon has sent you a transmission." The former gladiator pondered for a moment before turning back to face the front once again, "Put it through."

A Seeker working at the Communications panel hit a button and a visual was projected over the viewport. A mech with a blue paint job met Megatron's gaze. "My Lord," he bowed his head. Megatron smiled evilly, "Ah, Boomer. It's been a long time."

"Yes, Lord Megatron. I have tracked a small Autobot ship to Earth," the mech said, lifting his helm, "May I have permission to board your ship?" Megatron's smile increased, "Why of course! The more the merrier. I shall anticipate your arrival."

"Thank you, my Lord." The transmission fizzled out and the leader turned to Starscream. "Make sure he is welcomed aboard, bring him to me."

"At once, Lord Megatron," Starscream stopped before leaving to bow.

* * *

><p>Boomer's small ship landed on top of the Nemesis. A squad of Vehicons met him outside to escort him to the bridge. The mech saw a familiar figure walk towards him. "Ah, Boomer! How good it is to see you again, my boy." The young blue mech nodded his helm in respect, "Starscream."<p>

"My, have you grown," the Seeker commented, gesturing for him to follow. "I have been gone for awhile," Boomer sighed, "But Megatron wished for me to hunt down the remaining Autobots. The Nemesis was not exactly the right place for me."

"Indeed," Starscream replied as they entered the ship's hallways.

"I felt an odd presence on my way here," Boomer noted with a raise of an optic ridge, "Perhaps the absence of war has deluded me." Starscream smirked, "Oh how the drums of battle call to you. You have always been one to loath peace." Boomer chuckled, "Adrenaline is my fuel. I'm sure my carrier, wherever she may be, is just as reckless as I."

"She must have been," Starscream narrowed his optics as the bridge came into view.

Megatron turned around once the doors had opened. "Boomer, it is pleasing to see you are still online." The blue mech bowed before the leader and then stood up. "I have returned to serve you fully, my Master. I seem to have run out of Autobots to kill. My last prey escaped to this planet before I could make an attempt."

"Yes, my Seekers have scanned the crash site," Megatron waited for the mech to join him at the front of the bridge, "Oddly, there were no remnants or survivors."

"Then they are still alive," Boomer frowned, "I might have to fix that if you shall allow it." Megatron huffed, "I would never stop such young enthusiasm from what is just." The gladiator smirked, "Breakdown." The blue mech in question rushed over to his master, "Yes, Lord Megatron?"

"Show Boomer to his assigned room," Megatron ordered before turning back around. Boomer looked at Breakdown with a raised optic ridge before proceeding. As the two mechs walked off the bridge, Starscream stepped closer to his master. "My Lord," he started, "How do we keep the boy from—"

"Let me make myself clear, Starscream," Megatron's gaze was like a thousand knives piercing Starscream's, "If Boomer finds out about his mother, I will hold you accountable for it."

Starscream gulped and bowed his helm, "Yes, my master."

The monster smirked evilly and returned to gazing out the viewport, all sorts of malevolence pouring from his optics.

**Theme: "Rise" from The Dark Knight Rises**

* * *

><p><strong>an: Whoa, that ending would sure put a damper in Echo's plan, right? Stay tuned for more chapters! This story is far from over. A Scout, a Femme, and the Stars only had about half as many chapters as this section in the series will. Thank you all for your continued support! **

**Until next time,**

**~DE **


	16. God's Promise

**God's Promise**

Bumblebee laid down on his berth, gloom as always. He stared up at the ceiling, hoping that this night's sleep would soothe him, unlike the others. The mech's optics rotated as he started to slowly fall into recharge.

_The scout's optics opened to see himself in the middle of a battle. He was hiding behind a pillar on a familiar planet. Cybertron. AS Bumblebee looked around, he noticed unfamiliar mechs and femmes, though they bore the Autobot signal. "Commander," one of them called to him, "We should retreat!" Not knowing what was going on, the yellow mech nodded and watched as the troops began to fall back. But just as he was about to go with them, he noticed a group of Decepticon Vehicons running after them. _

_But these were no ordinary Cons. Instead of a plain purple paint job, their bodies were marked with a symbol Bumblebee could not recognize. The warriors rose their guns in unison and began firing at the fleeing Autobots. A femme and her mech partner were shot in the back, screaming out in pain as they fell to the ground. _

_Bumblebee looked around in horror as his fellow Autobots were murdered. Glancing back and forth frantically, the scout looked at the pillar he was hiding behind. The massive structure was holding up a large bridge that was wide and thick. Aiming his blaster at the halfway point of the pillar, Bumblebee shot five bullets. _

_The column snapped and the bridge came toppling down on top of the Vehicons. And Bumblebee. _

_After the dust settled, a black servo emerged from the pile of metal and cement. The mech dug himself from the pile and sat for a moment to catch his breath. Though his black and yellow paint job was ruined and dirty, he didn't care. _

_A groundbridge opened up only a few meters away. A white and silver mech appeared from it, looking around at the damage. He stared at the fallen bridge and sighed, shaking his helm. Bumblebee ran over to him and tried to report the Vehicons, but the white mech didn't hear him. The scout raised an optic ridge and followed the Autobot as he went back into the groundbridge. _

_As the two came through the groundbridge, Bumblebee noticed something familiar about the place. But the mech couldn't figure why. It looked to be a communications center with data computers wired up everywhere. _

_There were five Autobots in the room. A black mech Bumblebee knew as Ironhide, a white mech with blue and red stripes, a dark red femme, a black maximal, and…a heavily sparked Echo. Bumblebee bleeped at the sight of her abdomen. The poor femme had to lean on the edge of the hologram table for support. The scout ran over to assist her, but his servos merely passed through here, much like a ghost. The mech stepped back, not knowing what was going on at all. _

_"__Echo," the silver mech spoke up, "I couldn't find him." The black femme looked up with narrowed optics, "What do you mean?" The mech looked down at his peddes and sighed, "Bumblebee went on the mission. He's…gone." Echo's optics suddenly turned into flames in a rage. She turned her helm sharply towards Ironhide, "You lied to me!" The femme started stomping towards the startled mech, barely able to walk. The mech with the blue and red stripes and the dark red fembot rushed over to push her back from hurting either Ironhide, herself, or the unborn sparkling. _

_"__You told me you would stop him," the femme started crying, "You liar!" A light red femme burst through the doors with a syringe. The two Autobots by Echo's side held her down while the medic administered the sedative. Bumblebee watched the whole ordeal with wide optics. "Bumblebee," Echo whispered, coolant flowing down her faceplates. She turned to Ironhide one last time, "You promised me. You promised him." With that, the femme's optics closed and she went into a deep sleep. _

_"__Ironhide," the medic said, "I need you to take her to the med bay ASAP. She might go into shock if we don't stabilize her now." The dark red femme was on the verge of tears, "Red, if it's true and Bumblebee's dead—" _

_"__We can't focus on that now," the red femme snapped, gesturing for Ironhide to do as he was ordered. The white mech with the stripes covered his face while the silver mech punched a control panel. "How could this happen?" the blue mech asked, shaking his helm. "I don't know," the silver one replied, "But Echo's not going to last long without her sparkmate. Especially when she's so far into her pregnancy." _

_The dark red femme couldn't hold the coolant in any longer, "Why did this have to happen to them? They were too young and innocent for this!" She fell against and wall and covered her face. To Bumblebee's surprise, the red striped mech started crying himself. _

_Bumblebee looked around, not knowing what to do or what to think of what just happened. He just stood there. Shock flowed through his gaze._

* * *

><p><em>The medic femme burst through the doors again, "It's time!" The black maximal ran out of the room towards the hallway while the other three Autobots rose their helms, stunned. "Get up off your afts," the femme barked, "There's a new baby in town." <em>

_All of the Autobots, including Bumblebee's spirit, ran back to the med bay. Outside the doors, they could hear Echo screaming. "Well," the silver mech said with wide optics, "It looks like that sedative wore off." The lighter red femme turned to the silver mech and the dark red fembot, "I don't know if you guys wanna be in there. It's kinda intense." She turned her gaze towards the white, blue, and red Autobot, "Echo wants you to be there." _

_"__Are you sure?" he asked, hesitant, "I'm not her sparkmate." The medic rolled her optics, "You were. Now get in there and support her. She needs you." The mech nodded and walked through the doors. Bumblebee's optics narrowed as realization hit him. Rage filled his optics and hate replaced his cute demeanor. _

_"__It's sad," the dark red femme brought up, "Bumblebee didn't get the chance to hold his son before he died." The yellow scout's scowl intensified. He felt every temptation to go into the medbay, but something held him back. Something told him to stay outside and wait. _

**_I have blessed you with a child…_**

_Bumblebee looked up, expecting to see someone, but there was no one there. "I don't get to hold my own son?" the scout asked, walking away from the small group. _

**_Not in this world, but you will one day…_**

_"__So that mech she asked for," the scout growled, "Is he the rivalry you spoke of?" _

**_Do not let your selfishness cloud you… _**

**_You know that she could easily die at this time without a sparkmate…_**

_"__I know," Bumblebee sighed, his optics showing gloom, "But I wish I hadn't blow up that pillar." _

**_Again, you let your wants blanket others'…_**

**_You saved many lives…including hers and your sparkling's with what you did…_**

* * *

><p><em>An orange-red mech appeared from the med bay with a smile on his face, "You guys can come in now." The dark red femme beamed and turned to the white mech, who grabbed her hand as they walked into the room. Bumblebee ran towards the doors and followed them. <em>

_Inside, there were no screams any more. Echo was lying down on a berth, exhausted, but still awake. In her arms, Bumblebee could spot a small sparkling. The scout came over to her side to get a better view. His optics welled with coolant tears as he witnessed his son. _

**_Remember my promise, my son…._**

The scout woke up with coolant tears streaking his faceplates. His spark ached, yet he felt a twinge of happiness somewhere. _"I will,"_ he whispered. Bumblebee checked the time and hopped off his berth to join the others to pick the kids up.

* * *

><p>"You actually think this is going to work?" Darkblaze asked with a concerned look. "Echo," Silverwing plead, "This is going to end up with you as a hostage again." The black femme silenced her friends' objections by holding up her hand, "I know what I'm doing. Megatron would be stupid to deny Optimus' lieutenant a spot at his table. Besides, he's already offered me amnesty before." Jetwing shook her helm, "I don't know about this, Sonus. It's really risky."<p>

"What if Megs uses that Dark Energon to control you?" Sharpeye asked. Echo gave him a serious face, "Then you'll have to shoot me." Bluespark glared at her, "What good will that do? We need all three to fulfill that prophecy." Echo sighed, "What other options do we have? Plus, if we take down that ship, not only could we complete the prophecy, but in turn also win this war."

"I agree with that," Darkblaze placed a servo on Echo's shoulder, "But not with you sacrificing yourself. We should wait until _Ghost II_ is running. That is the only option I will take." Silverwing, Sharpeye, and Jetwing nodded their agreement. "Very well," Echo blinked and the group split off to their separate tasks.

* * *

><p>A few hours later, Echo looked around the ship for Artemis, who had disappeared after the meeting. "She's not in the bridge," Jetwing reported through the comm. link. Silverwing added that he hadn't seen her outside, either.<p>

"Echo!" Darkblaze shouted through the call, "I've picked up a strangle signal a mile out from here. I'm sending you the coordinates now."

* * *

><p>The femme looked up to the cliff where Darkblaze had picked up the signal. Echo cried out in shock, "Artemis! What are you doing?" The white Predacon ignored her and continued to stare up at the sky. Subconsciously, her wings spread out and she hunched down. Realizing what was happening, Echo's optics widened, "No! Don't try it!"<p>

Artemis again muted out her master's plea. The blue sky seemed so tempting. She leaned back and slightly folded her wings before she leaped. Echo watched in horror as the Predacon nose-dived. She ran to catch her, but just as the femme came within a few meters above her, her wings extended.

Instinct took over and the white Cybertronian flew up into the air, flapping her wings. "By the AllSpark!" Echo exclaimed with a wide smile. Artemis bellowed in joy, twisting and turning in the wind. She looked up and saw how close the clouds were. But a whistle from the ground caught her receptors. The growing Predacon looked down and saw Echo waving her back.

Artemis banked sharply, descending. The ground came close, and so did Echo. Not knowing how to land, the young Cybertronian accidentally rammed into the black femme, who didn't seem to care. Echo got up and praised her dragon, petting her helm and smiling wide. "You little genius!" the femme hugged Artemis, who returned it by wrapping her wing around the fembot.

"Just wait until you're big enough to have a driver," Echo chuckled. At this, the Predacon leapt with joy.

**Theme: "Touch the Sky" from Brave**

* * *

><p><strong>an: This series is quite crazy isn't it?**

**Valkyrie: Ikr? Well, Boomer is supposed to be the equivalent of a young adult (17-19), so he is still pretty young. I now know I picked the right name! With Bumblebee, he'll be here and there. Echo's group right now are going to take their chances with Ghost II. Echo wants to use herself as bait, Darkblaze and the new crew want to wait for the ship to be fixed, and Bluespark wants to go back to base. Majority rules, I guess. :) **

**Until next time,**

**~DE **


	17. My Plan

**My Plan**

Optimus sighed heavily as he turned the data computer on. It's been a week since the mysterious Autobot ship showed up. Fowler continued to search for the rogue Autobot's signatures, but he only found Wheeljack's, who was still distant. Ratchet walked into the room, tired and grumpy as ever. "Good morning, Ratchet," the prime greeted. "Good morning, Optimus," the medic sighed, "Any news?"

"Unfortunately, no," the red and blue mech closed his optics in frustration, "Where would she go?" Ratchet shook his helm, "She has nowhere to go. Everything she had was left back on Cybertron. She wouldn't be gone this long unless something came back."

"Wait," Optimus opened is optics and looked to his medic, "That's it!"

"What do you mean?" Ratchet tilted his helm and narrowed his optics. "Could you identify that ship?" the prime asked. The medic shrugged, still confused, as he headed over to the data computer.

* * *

><p>Echo sat on top of the cliff next to Artemis, patting her helm. "I don't think I want to send you after that ship," the black femme said, looking Artemis in the optics, "You're much too important to me." The Predacon beamed and rested her helm in Echo's lap. The sparkling wasn't so small anymore. She had grown in the past week. Standing on all four legs, she was above Echo's waist now. "I guess you're going through a growth spurt," the fembot laughed, stroking Artemis' helm.<p>

"Did you tell the others, yet?" a familiar femme voice came.

"Tell them what, Blue?" Echo turned to smile at her sister. The blue femme sat down next to Echo and pointed to the Predacon. "Are you going to tell them that she learned how to fly?"

"How'd you know?" her older sibling asked with narrowed optics. "Remember?" Bluespark smirked, "Sister bond, hello." Echo rolled her optics and smiled, "Oh, yeah."

"What's on your mind besides that?" Bluespark asked with concern.

Echo didn't respond. She only stared off into the distance. "Echo?"

_A white mech with blue and red stripes was strapped to a medical berth. Pieces of his armor laid in the pool of his energon. The gashes on his body were still pouring the blue liquid. The source of the torture, a blue mech with black and red stripes. His own son. _

_A black femme was crumpled in a pile, given death by the same injuries. By her own son. _

Bluespark shook the femme out of her trance, "Maybe we should get you to Ratchet."

"No," Echo gave her sister a stern look, "I will not let my guard down again."

Bluespark stepped back with a raised optic ridge, "What are you talking about?"

"Nothing," Echo grunted and stood up. She walked passed her sister, saying only, "Watch Cassy and Artemis for me. And don't follow me."

Bluespark watched with a shocked look as her sister transformed into her maximal form, running away. Artemis whimpered and started making her way towards her owner, but Cassy stopped her, "What Echo does now is her own mission."

* * *

><p>"She what?!" Darkblaze yelled, glaring at the blue femme. Bluespark looked at Silverwing and then back at the dark red fembot. "Um," she stuttered, "S-S-She left." Jetwing and Sharpeye gave each other a look, asking a question. "Did she tell you why?" Silverwing inquired, frowning. "No," Bluespark shook her helm and crossed her servos, "But she said not to follow her."<p>

The new Autobot all looked to each other. "You know what that means," Sharpeye said, sighing. "What?" Cassy asked, growling. Jetwing turned to the Cybertronian wolf and looked at her with a grim look, "Echo is going to go through with her plan." The femme's dog gasped and looked around frantically, begging for it not to be true.

Cassy pushed through the group and started running off. "Stop her," Sharpeye said to Donovan, but the mech maximal didn't budge, only glaring at his owner. "Don't," Bluespark snapped. "But she'll probably get into some sort of trouble," Jetwing argued.

Bluespark looked at the group and sighed, "Cassy is going after Echo."

* * *

><p>Echo kept running. She knew she needed to get as far away from the others as possible. She was about to do something crazy. Something that would likely end up with her dead. <em>I have to do this. <em>Her paws ached from the endless running. _I need to make up for all of the wrongs I have done. _Echo tripped over a rock and started tumbling. She grunted as she collapsed to the ground.

Her optics looked up, scared and doubtful, at the stars. She searched for her favorite. The one that always reminded her of home. It was bigger than most of the stars, twinkling just so it caught your eye. The femme wondered what was beyond these stars. _Who was out there?_

**_My child, what are you doing?_**

"God," Echo whispered, "I cannot sit by knowing we have this chance."

**_Your sacrifice is from your heart, but not from your head._**

"My Lord?"

**_You will take down that ship, yes, but in turn will ineviatably change your fate._**

"I am willing to do this."

**_Then let it be done._**

* * *

><p>Darkblaze and Silverwing raised an optic ridge as they heard the sound of a groundbridge opening. They activated their plasma guns and aimed them at it, fearing a Decepticon attack. But they were met with a more hospitable face.<p>

"Optimus Prime," Darkblaze said, deactivating her gun. She and Silverwing saluted. "Soldiers," the mech nodded, "I'm glad you were able to join us here on Earth."

"Jet, Sharpeye!" Silverwing called from where he was standing next to Ghost II. Optimus stepped closer to shake hands with the two Autobots, "What are your designations?"

"I'm Darkblaze," the femme said, shaking his hand. "Silverwing," the mech said. Jetwing and Sharpeye climbed out of the ship and exchanged names with the prime as well.

"Where is Echo?" their leader demanded. "Uh," they all said, looking to each other. The mech raised an optic ridge, "When was the last time you saw her?"

"She went after the Nemesis," a voice said from behind Optimus. He turned around to see Bluespark walking towards the group. She gave the others a look that said, "Let me do the talking."

"What?" Optimus asked, shocked. "She had a plan to take down the Decepticon warship," the blue femme sighed, "But it involves her sneaking into the ranks to secretly transmit information."

"We tried to stop her," Silverwing commented, "But apparently she didn't listen." Optimus sighed and pinched the bridge of his noseplates, shaking his helm. "I know the direction she went," Bluespark said, shrugging her shoulders. "You all need to come back to our base," Prime said, sighing once again.

"Thank you, Optimus," Darkblaze shook her helm, "But we're fixing this ship. With Echo risking her tailpipe like a lugnut, we need it more than ever." The red and blue mech frowned at first before exhaling in defeat, "Very well. But report back to me once it is finished. I will send out a search party after Echo."

"Sir, that's not going to work," Sharpeye said, sitting on the ship, "Echo is a master of disguise and stealth. You'd have to pray to Primus for a miracle for her to show up on any frequency. How do you think she came to be one of the Corps' best and brightest?" Optimus pondered for a moment before replying, "How do we find her then?"

Darkblaze snickered, "By the time you've found her, it's too late."

**Theme: "Yellow Flicker Beat" by Lorde **


	18. Revenge

**Revenge**

Bumblebee watched Arcee and Bulkhead walk through the groundbridge with Jack and Miko. "See ya later, 'Bee!" Miko waved goodbye as she walked through. Bumblebee waved back, having lately gained a better change of mood. Ratchet looked around, thinking, before he turned to the yellow scout. "Bumblebee, I have a mission for you."

The young Autobot looked and the medic and nodded,_ "What do you need, Ratch?"_ The medic frowned and shook his helm, "I don't like this, but you're the only one that can do it."

* * *

><p>"Lord Megatron," a Vehicon called. The tyrant looked up from his stance at the front of the bridge and grunted, "What is it?" The purple mech replied nervously, "Sir, uh, there's an Autobot frequency hailing us." After raising an optic ridge, Megatron nodded, "Put it through."<p>

An icon of a familiar femme popped up on the screen. "Ah, Echo," Megatron smirked, "I almost assumed you had perished. My soldiers and I have not seen you in months." The femme returned the smile, "I abandoned the Autobots long ago. Those traitors forsake me and left me for dead. I assume your doors are now closed to me?"

The former gladiator laughed, "Of course not. But may I ask, why have you decided now to take my offer?" The femme snickered and narrowed her optics, "I have come to realize how inferior the Autobot cause is. I met up with old partners, but they were not as I remember them." Megatron nodded, giving a "Mhmm."

"And above all," Echo smiled evilly, "I wish for revenge against Optimus for taking me away from my family." Megatron huffed in agreement, "Oh, how terrible it would be for that to happen again. I invite both you and your sister aboard."

"My sister," the black femme said with hatred, "Has betrayed me as well. She believes I should return to the Autobot base." Megatron growled, "She is no bother to you now, Sonus Prima, for she will be doomed along with the rest of those treacherous Autobots."

Echo smiled, "I'm in."

* * *

><p><strong><em>an: _****I sincerely apologize for how short this chapter is, but I do not want to give up on this series. So far, I have really hit some continuity problems that I am currently working around. This chapter is more of a preview of what is to come. I hope you all are still very excited for the return of this series. What I am thinking about doing is taking this story and adding it to "A Scout, a Femme, and the Stars" in order to keep everything in one place. Let me know what you think! **

**-Echo**


	19. Traitor

**Chapter Nineteen: Traitor**

"She did what?!" Optimus boomed, glaring at Darkblaze. The red femme sighed deeply and shook her head. "Echo has joined the Decepticons," she said. "It was part of her plan," Bluespark stood up, defending her sister. "Echo knows what she is doing," she said. "What will stop Megatron from obtaining classified information from her," Optimus bellowed, "Including the location of our base?"

The two femmes looked at each other in shock. "Well, it's been weeks, sir," Darkblaze said, "Surely he would have attacked by now." The Autobot leader shook his helm, "Have you heard from her?" Bluespark sighed, "No." Optimus narrowed his optics and looked away, "I can't believe she would be so stupid to do this."

_"__She's not stupid." _

Prime turned around to see his scout glaring at him with his arms folded. "Bumblebee," Optimus sighed, "Echo is in the wrong this time. She's gone too far." Bumblebee's stern gaze intensified, _"Like Bluespark said, she knows what she is doing. Maybe you just can't see that." _

"I was a Decepticon myself for a short period of time," the blue femme said, "I know that Echo can handle herself. She's done things like this before." Optimus shook his helm, "But not in this type of situation." He looked around as he pondered his next words. "For now, Echo is a fugitive," he said firmly, "If you spot her, shoot to stun and bring her back to base."

_"__What?" _Bumblebee exclaimed. Optimus narrowed his optics at the young mech, "You heard me."

_"__Optimus, you can't do this!"_ Bumblebee protested; his optics wide. The red and blue mech glared at the scout, "Arrest Echo no matter what. She is a danger to us all. She has betrayed us." Darkblaze and Bluespark looked for the words to say, but they could only stand in pure shock.

* * *

><p>"I am under the impression that you have come to know the Autobot scout, Bumblebee," Megatron said, looking out the viewport. Echo raised her chin up to make herself look impenetrable. "Yes," she said, "But I have forsaken my friendship with him." The gladiator smirked, "Interesting."<p>

He turned to the black femme with an evil smile, "Perhaps we could use your old connection to him to our advantage." Echo returned the grin, "He wouldn't expect me to betray them like that. Very clever, my lord."

Megatron cackled, "This is the beginning of a new era, Echo. We shall destroy the Autobots and make them pay for their arrogance." The fembot flashed her tail, "Optimus is a traitor, and should be dealt with as one." The silver mech nodded, "Of course. Now, I require your expertise in cracking one of my commanders. It seems Starscream has lost his way. I need you to make sure he confesses to his sins."

"As you wish, my lord," Echo bowed before leaving the bridge, her yellow optics glowing.

After the doors closed, Megatron turned to activate a transmission. On the screen, an image of the spider-like femme appeared. "Arachnid," Megatron said, "See to it that the young Boomer does not encounter his mother. Lock him in his quarters and report back to me once you have finished."

"Yes, Lord Megatron," Arachnid dipped her helm, "But may I ask why Boomer must not be near the femme?" Megatron snickered, "Echo may not be telling the whole truth. I may need him for…insurance."

* * *

><p>Echo glared at Starscream as he spoke into the recording.<p>

"I have been a fool," he said, "I've made monumental mistakes. I am never to be a leader. I am to follow the bidding of my one and only master, Lord Megatron. Thank you both, for listening." With that, the recording ended, and Echo motioned for the mech to high tail and get out. Once the silver mech was out of earshot, the femme turned to Soundwave, a cold look in her gaze.

After giving a sharp chuff, she turned briskly towards the bridge, intent on making sure the second-in-command does not screw anything up. She flashed her tail as she followed him down the hall.

As soon as the blast door to the bridge fell back, Echo had to fight a growl in her throat upon seeing the femme. "Is this true?" Megatron demanded. Echo pushed past Starscream and flicked her tail. She looked over her shoulder and gestured for the silver mech to keep quiet…or else.

"Starscream didn't mention it?" Arachnid asked with a wave of her servo. The former Autobot had to fight every urge to not tackle the femme for what she has done to her in the past. "He's probably up to his old tricks again, my master," Echo snickered. Megatron and Arachnid looked over quickly. The gladiator eyed his officer and growled, "Starscream."

Echo smirked and chuffed, her yellow optics looking back and forth between the two mechs. "Lord Megatron," Starscream said with a bow as he walked towards the trio, "Ignore Echo's impertinence. What was it that I failed to mention?" The black femme's smile only intensified as she saw fear seep into Starscream's red optics.

"_The Harvenger_," Megatron said roughly. "Why yes, uh," Starscream stuttered, "I had my men search the crashsite when we first arrived on Earth." Megatron's optics narrowed, "So then I am right to assume you collected the important cargo _The Harvenger_ was carrying?"

As the scolding ensued, Echo stepped over to take a peek at the files herself. Megatron turned to her and asked, "Where is this said crashsite?" The femme snorted a puff of white breath, "It was never logged into the ship's database, my Lord."

"What?" Megatron bellowed, turning to stare daggers at Starscream, whom cowered away. "I know where it is!" Starscream got on his knees and begged his master. "Good," Megatron turned to the two femmes, "Then you can take Arachnid and Echo there."

* * *

><p>Echo did not like this detour. She was hoping to get some useful information whilst the spider was gone, but now her vendetta had to wait. She kicked a few rocks on her way, glaring at the ground. "Only a few more minutes," Starscream said with fake enthusiasm. "Good, I was about to shoot your helm off from boredom," Echo snarled. "I was once the leader of a great Armada," the mech began one of his long monologues. Despite their hatred of each other, Echo and Arachnid turned to each other and rolled their eyes, hoping he wouldn't be talking for too long. "Now I am reduced to pitiful missions such as these," he said with an exasperated sigh.<p>

"I might take your plan of shooting his head off," Arachnid said to Echo, earning an understanding nod. "I even took out one of Prime's fiercest warriors," Starscream laughed evilly. Echo's ears perked up and she narrowed her optics at him, "Oh, and who would be so unskilled as to fall to you?"

With a growl, the mech turned to Echo and made a fist, "Cliffjumper."

On the inside, Echo wanted to claw out Starscream's spark and throw him into the Pit, but she remained calm. "Interesting," her eyes narrowed further and she gestured for him to continue walking. He rolled his optics and turned sharply on his peddes.

Within another few moments of silence and walking, the mech stopped. "The Harvenger lies just underneath us," he looked around, "We'll need to find a way to get down there—"

Before the second-in-command could finish his thought, Arachnid had dug a tunnel down, and Echo had transformed into her maximal mode, going through the tunnel.

* * *

><p>"Shall we leave him?" Arachnid smirked as the two femmes rounded a corner. Starscream's yelps of objection rang throughout the halls. "I definitely don't want to hear another one of his monologues," Echo chirped. She transformed into her bi-pedal form just as the two Cons heard footsteps. Seconds later, the Autobot team came out from an intersection.<p>

Echo immediately made eye-contact with Bumblebee, who beeped a gasp. _"Echo?"_ he asked. His optics widened when he took in her dark and brooding appearance. Optimus called out to the two femmes, "Surrender!"

The black femme began to panic. _No, no, no! This isn't part of my plan!_ She hurriedly transformed into her maximal mode and took off in a different direction than Arachnid. _"Echo!"_ Bumblebee called out as he ran after her. She refused to look behind her, knowing that if she looked into his optics again, she wouldn't be able to continue with her plan.

_"__Echo, please stop!"_ the poor scout shouted to her, his beeps cracking and agonized.

The femme blinked the tears from her optics and kept sprinting down the halls, though the mech was able to keep up with her. Eventually, she reached her destination and used her hind legs to launch herself into the whole the three Decepticons had come in. Echo used her powerful claws to climb up, while Bumblebee yelled at her from below.

_"__Sono, what are you doing?"_ he pleaded, not able to climb on the smooth surface of the tunnels with his rounded digits. _"Why are you running? Sono?!"_ Upon hearing his nickname for her, Echo paused and hung there, on the verge of surrendering. "'Bee, you wouldn't understand," she sniffed, "You wouldn't understand what I'm going through."

_"__I would if you would just come down here and talk to me,"_ he placated, _"We can work this out…together."_ Echo wanted to cry. She wanted to fall into the mech's arms and cry until he took her back to base and cooed her to sleep like he used to do. She wanted to hang on to him as if her life depended on it, sharing her emotions with him. And above all, she wanted to be with him again: to be in love as if nothing had happened.

A growl formed in the tiger's throat as she slapped herself into reality. _You can't have that! A femme like you deserves nothing more than to suffer a lifetime of loneliness and gloom. Bumblebee deserves better than you._ Echo started climbing again, ignoring Bumblebee completely, and muting him out.

She reached the lip of the tunnel and pulled herself up. Fortunately, when she peeked around, she spotted no one nearby. Thinking for a moment, she turned and made a beeline for the trees where she could wait and ambush anyone that came for her. _Including Bumblebee…_

Her emotions finally broke down her walls. Echo sat up in the tree and let the coolant tears fall down her muzzle. She wanted to roar and kick and scream. She wanted to cry until she didn't have any more tears. The scout's words kept repeating in her head like a song that she couldn't shake off. His big blue optics pierced into her soul, causing her more pain than she could imagine.

The sound of a helicopter broke her from her misery and she looked up. Coming closer, Echo could spot Arachnid's aerial form approaching. The maximal jumped from the treeline and out into the open. The purple femme transformed and landed with a loud thud. "How did they find us?" Echo asked, sitting down and wrapping her tail around her paws.

"I have no idea," Arachnid shook her helm, "But we need to find the other half of the ship and get the Immobilizer." The tiger femme nodded and narrowed her optics, "I agree. If we hurry, we may be able to pull it off before the Autobots catch on."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile…<p>

Bumblebee looked up at the tunnel, heartbroken. _She…she ran from me…_ He looked down at his peddes in grief and turned to walk away, a coolant tear gracing his faceplates. _Was it something I said? Did she join the Decepticons because of me?_ The scout kept walking until he heard the thunderous voice of Bulkhead. "Hey, 'Bee," the green mech said, "I need your help with this!"

Bumblebee looked over to see Bulkhead standing over Starscream who was restrained by Arachnid's webs. "We should get him over to Optimus," Bulkhead stated, about to drag the Con off. _"Wait,"_ Bumblebee held up a servo, _"You should find the shortest way out of here while I watch him." _

Bulkhead gave the younger Autobot a weird look before nodding his approval. 'Bee waited until the mech was off before turning to Starscream. He grabbed him by his neck, pointing his wrist canons at him. _"Tell me what you know about Echo!" _

The coward Decepticon shrinked in fear, "She came to us a couple months ago asking for our help! She wanted revenge against Optimus and the rest of you for abandoning her!" Bumblebee released Starscream, but put his weapon against the Con's chestplate. _"We did not abandon her,"_ Bumblebee said, _"You're lying."_

"It's true!" Starscream shouted, "She said so herself that the Autobots are traitors and that they will lose the war."

The scout stepped back in disbelief. He turned to where Bulkhead had gone and called out to the large mech. _"If you're lying,"_ the yellow Autobot removed his gun, though still glaring at the Con, _"You're dead!"_

"Why don't you ask her yourself?" Starscream frowned. Bumblebee's glare softened and he stepped back once more. _How could she do this?_

* * *

><p>"Right, so you want to join us?" Bulkhead asked before engaging in a fit of laughter. "You wouldn't betray the Cons," Arcee glared at the mech. "Why not?" Starscream snickered, "Megatron replaced me with Arachnid and placed that wretch Echo in—"<p>

The silver Con was dealt a hit to the head by Bumblebee, who glared down at him. _"Watch what you're saying, Decepticon,_" the yellow mech growled.

"Have you not heard of your fellow Autobot traitor?" Starscream asked with a raised brow. Optimus turned to his scout and narrowed his optics, "Did you have the chance to apprehend her?" The scout put on the perfect poker face, "_No, sir. She tackled me and escaped before I could restrain her properly." _

"You better hope you find your precious lieutenant, Prime," Starscream had an evil vibe coming from him; "Before Megatron gets the information he needs from her and leaves her for scrap."

Bumblebee stepped closer to the Con and activated his canons, _"That's never going to happen." _

Optimus motioned for the others to talk with him while the scout watched Starscream. As they moved away, the Decepticon turned to Bumblebee. "You have no idea how much she despises you all, bug," he frowned, "Megatron has brainwashed her quite thoroughly if you ask me."

The scout could only blink, hoping that all this intel was lies and that Echo wasn't truly siding with the Decepticons.

* * *

><p>Echo pushed hard on her legs, going as fast as she could. If she didn't get the rush of adrenaline, she would consider scanning an aerial mode. Arachnid was already at the second half of The Harvenger and was most likely impatiently waiting for her.<p>

Rounding a canyon wall, the femme was met by the looming presence of the ship. It was massive, and was resting inside a dip in a wall at an awkward slant. Echo halted and slide slightly on her paws, looking around for the other femme. She rolled her yellow optics when she spotted a tunnel. Praying to Primus she jumped in headfirst.

* * *

><p>The femme sighed nervously. <em>Okay, all I need to do is free Starscream, rendezvous with Arachnid, and get back to the Nemesis. That's not that hard, right?<em> Echo couldn't help but feel unnerved by her task. She would have to fight Arcee to get Starscream out of here, but that was something the femme did not want to do. _Just do it! It's not like she really liked you anyways! _

Echo peeked behind the rock she was hiding behind and frowned. Arcee was standing over Starscream, a very displeased look on her faceplates.

Quietly, Echo began to creep towards the unsuspecting femme. _Only a few more yards…_ The pink and blue femme kicked Starscream to the ground. _Okay, she's pissed_. Arcee threw a key down at Starscream's feet. _What is she doing?!_ The Autobot pointed her guns at Starscream, ordering him to release himself so she could terminate him for Cliffjumper. _C'mon, Echo, all you need to do is pounce and knock her out!_

When Starscream failed to pick up the card, Arcee deactivated a gun and leaned down to pick it up. The mech looked over and spotted Echo ready to strike. She gave him a crisp nod and laughed evilly, turning back to Arcee. He brought out his sharp digits and before Echo could protest, slashed open Arcee's stomach. The blue femme gasped in shock as her energon began to spill across the ground.

Echo took the opportunity to leap over the rock and jump in between Arcee and Starscream. "We better go, now," she said, growling. "Of course," Starscream snickered. Echo raised an optic ridge at him, but just as he removed his handcuffs, he grabbed the maximal by her tail and flung her into a large boulder.

Echo turned to Arcee just as everything started going fuzzy. The femme was keeled over in pain, clutching her side. "Go get the thing we came here for!" Starscream commanded Echo, who was still in shock at the Con's strike. Arcee hissed, "Optimus was right, you are a traitor." The black femme snarled at the comment and turned away. _Forget her! If you sympathize with the Autobots now, you'll never be able to go through with your plan!_ With only a second's worth of hesitation, Echo turned towards the rock arch and sprinted.

"You are a coward!" Arcee called after her.

Echo felt so torn. She wanted to find her son, free her brother from Megatron's clutches, and then go back to the Autobots. _You can never go back! Not after all this! They'll never trust you again. You are an outsider._ The maximal kept running until she came underneath the arch. By that point, she could hear Arachnid's voice. She hid behind a boulder and peeked around.

"Tell me, bug…" Arachnid started. Echo began to frantically search for the mech. _She better not harm him! I will personally rip her legs off if she does!_ After a few seconds, the fembot spotted the familiar yellow and black markings. He was hidden behind a rock pillar, obviously up to his usual cleverly improvised plans. Echo stifled a snarl when she noticed Arachnid pointing around the Immobilizer. "DO you think Megatron will enjoy his new trophies?" the spider femme cackled.

Arachnid crawled over towards a frozen Optimus and laughed. "You, Prime," she stroked his cheekplate, "Are a true prize." Echo used her fellow Decepticon's distraction to her advantage. She crept towards a boulder that was closer to the scout. Once she was safely hidden from view, she chirped and chattered her teeth, softly enough so only the mech could hear it. He turned around slowly and his optics widened when he spotted her. Bumblebee started to move towards her, but she bared her teeth at him and hunched her shoulders, telling him to not dare come near her.

Echo heard Arachnid laugh and began to frantically thrash her tail and shake her head, trying not to make a sound whilst doing it. Bumblebee got the message just in time to dodge the purple bullets being shot at him. When a few shots hit a canyon wall and caused dust to spread everywhere, Bumblebee shot at it, which created a thick cloud. Echo growled and crept into a small space between a few boulders.

Arachnid shot the Immobilizer into the cloud and aimed it practically everywhere to try and get Bumblebee. When the dust cleared, Echo's helm fell onto her paws and she whimpered. Bumblebee was now frozen, doomed to face the same fate as Bulkhead and Optimus…and she would have to deliver them to it. "Megatron will probably dismantle you for spare parts," Arachnid laughed, walking around Bumblebee. She turned and paced closer to Prime to monologue.

Echo tilted her helm when she saw something move. She turned her yellow gaze upon the scout. His limbs were now slowly and silently moving. But when Arachnid looked over her shoulder for a split second, he went back into the position he was previously in. Echo smiled and thumped her tail at his creativity and eagerly sat up to witness how to next few moves would play out.

"I should be using this tool to worm my way through Megatron's ranks like your girlfriend did, bug," Arachnid sad, facing away from the mech, "She certainly is quite the Decepticon. It's only a matter of time before she moves on to a mate worthy of her." The femme's optics widened when she heard footsteps. She turned around and was harshly punched in the face by Bumblebee.

"That's my mech," Echo said with a smile played on her muzzle.

The Immobilizer was knocked out of the femme's grasp. Bumblebee aimed his gun and shot it to pieces. "You idiot!" Arachnid exclaimed before dodging the mech's shots. She transformed and started flying away, but not before sending a call out to the maximal femme when she spotted her. "Echo, I'm sending you the coordinates for the extraction point," she said before heading over the mountain.

Echo nodded to the orders and stood up. But when she started walking, her hind paw kicked a couple rocks, which the scout heard. As soon as he spotted her, he began to run after her. Echo gasped and started sprinting. The yellow mech ran after her, his optics narrowed as he was determined to catch her and bring her back to base.

The femme ran as fast as she could, but in her panic, she fumbled and tripped. She went spiraling onto the ground. Bumblebee took the opportunity and jumped on top of her, trying to grab her by her abdomen. She fought and writhed around wildly. The mech tried to wrestle her down, but she clawed him and tried to wiggle lose. With a kick to the lower region, Echo was able to by herself a window to escape. As Bumblebee recovered from the blow, holding his midsection, Echo stood up and started limp-running away, as her front left paw was broken from when she tripped.

_"__Echo,"_ Bumblebee called out, _"Please stop running!"_ The femme paused, but didn't look back. _"We need you back at base…I need you."_ Echo snorted and glared, "Don't follow me." She flickered her tail and started padding again.

_"__SO that's it,"_ the mech sighed, _"Now we're enemies?"_ Echo whimpered, but still kept going, "I guess so. Don't come after me." Bumblebee shook his helm and stood up, _"I will never stop believing in you, Echo. You're everything to me! I need you!" _

"Please stop," Echo started to cry. As she got further and further away, their voices increased. _"Why? Do you not feel the same way I do?"_ Bumblebee began to choke up. Coolant was blurring his vision. Echo stopped and faced him for the first time. "Bumblebee," she hissed, "Stop!" Bumblebee glared at her, _"I need to know if you truly feel the same." _

Echo whimpered and hung her helm. Coolant streaked her face and fell to the ground, "I'm sorry, Bumblebee. But I'm not coming back. At least not for now." Bumblebee's tears came fast and hard, _"When will I get to see you again?"_

The femme turned back around and kept limping. She limped to the pickup point. She limped onto the Nemesis. She limped onto the bridge. And in her spark she limped down a path that lead straight to pure misery.

* * *

><p><strong>an: Okay, so this is an extra long chapter for you guys. Sorry I haven't updated in so long. Hopefully the suspense has built up enough and that this chapter feeds your cravings ;) I'll try and update more frequently now that I've gotten back into the writing funk. **

** Valkyrie: Thanks for the feedback! **

** Guest: Ah, I see. Yes, well, the way I like to write, nothing is set in stone. Sometimes I through in a curve ball or dangle a carrot in front of the rabbit. I like to write a story in which always makes the reader wonder and anticipate what is going to happen next. This story is somewhat of a tragedy, but don't worry, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I agree with you in that if Bumblebee dies, it will be like Smokescreen takes his place correct? Yet, if Echo never met Bumblebee (whom she felt was most like her ****_old_**** sparkmate), she wouldn't have found Smokescreen...most likely. Don't worry, I really appreciate comments such as yours that provide a really interesting topic. It helps me grow as a writer and it helps to make the story grow as well. Thank you so much! I'm glad you've enjoyed this series!**

* * *

><p><strong>Until next time,<strong>

**-E **


	20. Too Much Information

**Chapter Twenty: Too Much Information**

Echo walked through the halls of the Nemesis towards the bridge. Megatron had called her up for another mission. Lately, the Decepticons have been engaging in a lot of skirmishes with the Autobots, much to the displeasure of the femme. She tried her best to avoid going on any missions, but now Megatron would not have her excuses.

Ever since her encounter with Bumblebee over the Immobilizer, she had grown depressed and rather cold. Pieces of her armor have faded to a dark gray. Whenever Knock Out questioned her about it, she would play it off as her wanting a new look.

The femme is anxious to find out the details of her task, as she knows there are certain assignments she can simply not do. The doors to the bridge opened and she stepped inside, her spark beating a million miles per hour. She kneeled down and flickered her tail, "My Lord? You called for me." Megatron turned around, "We have discovered an ancient artifact that must not fall into the Autobot's hands. I'm sending you, Knock Out, and Breakdown to retrieve it immediately. Bring it back here at all costs." Echo bowed her helm before turning to exit.

_Great…I hope Bumblebee isn't present at this little party…_

* * *

><p>Echo stepped through the groundbridge first, glancing around for any signs of the Autobots. In the middle of the gorge, a small cylindrical capsule was lying on the ground. The femme tilted her helm and walked over to inspect it as Decepticons filed out from the groundbridge. Her tail twitched when she heard a deafening noise…another groundbridge opening.<p>

She looked over cautiously, though she already knew who it was. As soon as her optics set upon the red and blue mech, she turned to her troops, "Get the capsule out of here." Before she could turn around to engage the Autobots, someone attacked her from behind, tackling her. Echo screamed out, "Get them!"

As the chaos ensued, Echo looked to her attacker, who was none other than Bumblebee. He pinned her to the ground with his greater weight and tried to restrain her, but she fought back. The femme managed to roll over so that they were front to front. From there, she snarled at 'Bee and rolled them over so that she was on top. Echo looked the scout up and down within a second. He looked like scrap. His armor was faded and his eyes were a dull blue. Bumblebee also took the chance to inspect her. He wanted to chirp a gasp upon seeing the gray stress. He grabbed her wrists and tried to flip them over, but the femme somersaulted forwards, sending the mech flying off in a pile of yellow and black.

Echo turned to look for the cylinder, but grunted when the scout got back up. She whistled to a couple of Cons and nodded in the direction of the scout. They engaged him while the femme spotted someone else coming after her…Arcee.

The black Decepticon braced for impact as the blue and pink Autobot rammed into her, knocking them both down. Echo kicked the smaller femme off of her and jumped to her feet, bringing her arms up for a fight. "You don't deserve to call yourself an Autobot," Arcee seethed. She swiped her leg and knocked Echo onto her aft. The fembot retaliated by wrapping her tail around Arcee's ankle to pull her down as well.

Then Echo stood up. Multiple bots looked around and made a beeline for the artifact. Echo made it the closest, but was tackled by Bumblebee. The two rolled about on the ground whilst Arcee went next. Knock Out rammed into her hard and threw her to the ground before heading back to the target.

"Come to papa," he laughed. But, Bulkhead smashed his hammer into his side, "Run home to mommy." Breakdown appeared behind the mech and grabbed his helm, "Say uncle!"

Echo raised an optic ridge at the exchange and looked to Bumblebee; they both shrugged at each other. Now that Echo was on top, she let go of her hold on the mech and tried to run for it. "Come to momma!" she was inches away from it before the scout securely grabbed her ankle. She snarled as the mech dragged her onto the ground and towards him. He got on top of her and pinned her arms behind her back, holding them with one servo. With the other, he covered the femme's mouth, trying to calm her down.

_"__I never got my answer,"_ he beeped, watching the fight continue. Echo tried to thrash around, but the mech's greater weight and strength prevented her from doing so. He had her in a lock. And the only possible key was either letting him take her back to base to face the consequences, or lethally fight her way out and potentially hurt him.

Once her breathing slowed down, the scout removed his hand from her mouth and instead used it to wrap around her stomach. Bumblebee pushed himself into a sitting position and brought the writhing femme into his lap, holding her by her arms and waist. With one leg, he pinned her legs down so he could activate his guns and shoot at the Vehicons.

As he fought, Echo continued to struggle. _"You're not a Decepticon,"_ the mech grunted, "_You belong with us…with me."_ Echo shook her helm, "'Bee, I need to figure things out on my own. I told you to not come after me! I never said I was a Decepticon."

_"__You're sure trying to act like one,"_ Bumblebee ducked slightly, avoiding a shot, _"I don't see why you can't come back to base and talk things through with us. If you would just explain what's on your mind, I'm sure Optimus could help you." _

"No," Echo groaned, trying to remove her legs, "He wouldn't understand what I'm going through…none of you would!" Bumblebee stopped for a moment and looked deeply into the femme's optics, _"I would. Please stop fighting me, so we can be a team again."_ Echo felt a tear fall down her cheekplates, "I'm sorry, 'Bee…I—"

They both froze when they heard a yelp. Echo and Bumblebee turned to see Miko pushing against the cylinder. In a frustrated attempt, she kicked it, which somehow activated it. Bulkhead screamed his objection and tried to run for the capsule, but Breakdown tripped him and he fell. The green lugnut fell right in front of it as a red laser shot out…going straight into Bulkhead's head.

Echo gasped as the mech fell under. Knock Out stepped over and retrieved the artifact, "Thanks, Bulkhead!" The medic and Breakdown looked over at Echo, who was still being detained and looked between each other. Bumblebee tightened his grip harshly, causing the femme to shriek. He aimed his gun at the two mechs, as if daring them to come closer. "Megatron did say to get it at all costs," Breakdown laughed before they and the rest of the Cons escaped.

Bulkhead stood up, seemingly unaffected by what had just happened. Echo growled and snarled, desperately trying to free herself. But when she heard massive footsteps, she stopped and looked up at Optimus. He glared at her, "You have a lot of explaining to do." The femme internally smirked to herself and slacked off, allowing Bumblebee to stand up.

But as soon as she felt the scout's grip on her loosen, she head-butted him. She turned to Optimus and gave him a sincere look, "That'll have to wait til another time." Echo transformed into her maximal mode and ran. She waited for the Autobots to start running after her, but no such sound came. All she could remember hearing was Bumblebee's threatening chirp, _"Let her go."_

* * *

><p>"I sincerely hope that whatever this container holds will help to win the war," Megatron said as he and the black femme walked down the halls of the <em>Nemesis<em>. "Perhaps the key to a weapon of mass destruction, my lord?" Echo proposed, lifting an optic ridge. "Indeed," Megatron said.

"I am eager to see how your powers will help us in this war," the mech continued, "To what limit does your power with sound expand?" Echo looked downwards, thinking about how to answer this question. "I admit that I have not used them for quite some time," she spoke up, "I wouldn't be surprised if all I could produce was a simple orb of sound."

As they rounded the corner and face the medical bay, the gladiator smirked, "We shall see."

Inside, Knock Out and Breakdown were analyzing the capsule. "Uh, bad news," the red mech said nervously. Megatron frowned, "Explain." The clunky Breakdown shrugged, "It's empty."

"What do you mean 'empty'?" Echo growled, glaring at Knock Out.

"These capsules are like batteries," the medic stuttered, "It was fully charged when we detected it. But now…" Breakdown nonchalantly said, "Dead battery."

"Wait a second," Echo snapped, looking at the capsule, "The thing zapped Bulkhead before we took it. You don't think—"

Megatron smirked, "I know. We must find the knowledge the container held. As I always love to say; knowledge is power."

* * *

><p>Bumblebee walked up to the group surrounding the data computer. "This hotspot is information," Ratchet said, pointing to a diagram, "It's living energy." The scout raised an optic ridge as Miko hopped up and down. "Wait, so there's a living blob inside his head and it's on fire?!" she screeched. "Geez, Miko," Bulkhead said from the medical berth, "It's only in part of my brain. Very small considering neuro-net densities. Wait…how do I know that?"<p>

_"__Bulkhead being smart for once?"_ Bumblebee chuckled, _"That's odd."_ Optimus stepped forwards, "When the data cylinder detected an unauthorized presence, it must have ejected the data."

_"__Good thing your fat head got in the way, then,"_ Bumblebee joked, folding his servos, _"But I still don't get how everyone made a grab for it and it only ejected the information when Miko hit it."_ Ratchet brought up a file on the data cylinders. "The data capsules were made during the Golden Age," he said, "They wouldn't have a bias towards either side. This pre-dated the Autobot-Decepticon war."

"Thus, any native of Cybertron wouldn't have been viewed as a threat," Optimus added.

_I wonder if it did, would Echo have been labeled as a Con?_ Bumblebee looked off, a pained expression in his optics. "So," a voice came from the tunnel, "What's all this gibberish about?" The group turned to see Bluespark, Darkblaze, and Jetwing walk into the base. "Bulkhead had an artistic splurge," Arcee said with a roll of her optics. "You don't say," Darkblaze laughed, walking closer to inspect the formula written on the walls.

"I don't want to get you worked up," Ratchet said, "But these equations are for a synthetic energon." Jetwing gasped, _"Are you serious?"_ Bumblebee pumped a fist into the air, _"Oh yeah!"_ Bluespark smiled and her metal ears perked up, "This is exactly what we need! We hit the mother lode!"

"Indeed," Prime nodded, "This could also be the key to restoring our planet."

"We got a formula," Arcee put her servos on her hips, "And all those stinking Cons got was an empty capsule." Bumblebee flinched at this comment and stared off again. _Remember, she's not a Decepticon. She's just spying on them…right?_

* * *

><p><em>Ugh, Soundwave will find out my plan sooner than I can hatch it if I'm not careful.<em> Echo walked through the halls casually, though she was beyond nervous. If she failed, she would likely be killed on site. There was no one here to save her.

The femme stepped into the secondary data storage center, thankful that no one—especially Soundwave—was there to foil her plan. She turned on one of the monitors, her digits shaking more and more as each second passed. _Retrieve the information and get out of here!_ She typed fast onto the keyboard, trying to hurry.

As soon as the card popped out from the frame, the femme grabbed it, turned off the computer, and tried to get as far away from the center as possible.

She had only been walking for a few minutes before she ran into the silver mech. Her spark began to race when she noticed a squad of Decepticons behind him. "Echo," the mech said casually, "We have received an invitation from Optimus. You will groundbridge behind them and take a squad for an ambush."

"Yes, my lord," Echo swallowed hard, dipping her helm. _Oh frag!_

* * *

><p>"Megatron, I have a proposal."<p>

Echo raised an optic ridge and continued creeping across the lip of the gorge. She looked down to see Optimus, Arcee, and…Bumblebee. The Autobot leader stood ahead, his posture signaling peace. Echo wanted nothing more than to be on good terms with the mech again, for he was like a mentor to her. "I'm listening," Megatron smirked.

"Give us the cylinder," Prime bellowed, "And I will return it to you…full." Echo growled. _Whatever was in that capsule must be important. Optimus is stupid for trying to bargain it off. What is he thinking?_ "Please do explain, Optimus," Megatron snarled, "What knowledge did it hold that you are so willing to bid off?"

Echo flashed her tail and peeked over at Bumblebee, who was standing in a "don't give me scrap" position. She immediately felt bad for completely rejecting him and his help. _He's just trying to make things right again, like you should be!_

"Accept my offer and you will find out," Optimus said, narrowing his optics. Megatron growled and looked up to where the femme was sneaking around. "Echo!" Within a second, the black maximal leapt from her spot. She landed hard on the ground in between Optimus and Megatron. Echo dug her sharp claws into the earth, growling to make herself appear more lethal.

Bumblebee's posture slackened and he was about to say something before the tiger whipped her helm around to snarl at him. With an optic that Megatron could not see, Echo winked at the mech, telling him to play along. She turned back to face Megatron. The silver Decepticon looked at the cylinder before down at the maximal. The gladiator's comm. went off and he glanced at Optimus, "Give us a moment."

Echo walked alongside the Con, dragging her paws lazily about. When Megatron stopped, she sat down and wrapped her tail around her paws. Before Megatron answered the call, Echo looked over her shoulder at Bumblebee, who gave her a crisp nod of his helm. She then glanced at Optimus, who had a scowl on his face. Echo narrowed her optics at this and turned back to Megatron.

"Did you find it?" Knock Out's voice came. "It's complicated," Megatron glared over his shoulder. "Breakdown and I found the battery," the medic snickered, "Fully charged." Megatron and Echo glanced at each other. "There's only one problem," Knock Out said, "We need the capsule." The gladiator lowered his wrist and looked at Echo, "Bring me his head."

A groundbridge opened up and Echo stared over her shoulder at the Autobots. She made eye contact with Prime, and—just as she did with Bumblebee—snuck a wink. Immediately, the mech's glare softened. She roared and took off, sprinting through the groundbridge.

* * *

><p>"You better hurry," Knock Out greeted the femme. The maximal snarled and flashed her tail, causing the red mech to back away in fear. "Where is he?" she demanded. "Just this way, Commander," Breakdown pointed towards a stadium. With a tilt of her helm, Echo began padding towards the building, a gleam in her yellow optics. She sniffed the air and hissed when she recognized Bulkhead's scent.<p>

"You two go around and prepare to ambush him," Echo snickered. The two mechs glanced at each other before shrugging and walking away. Echo rolled her optics and snorted. Her breath was white and hot, forming a cloud in the cold night air. Since the mechs were now out of her metal, the femme could think freely whilst 'hunting'.

_Megatron is going to use whatever is in the data against the Autobots. I can't let that happen_. Echo came up to a massive gate with a banner draped over it. _This is the monster truck rally Bulkhead used to take Miko to…_ Echo's optics widened. _Miko must be with him!_ She used her hind legs to launch herself over the gate.

Hastily, she squeezed past the ticket booths and burst out onto the stadium's upper ring of seats. Echo looked down into the pit to see a large green mass by the wall: Bulkhead. The femme crept down the stairs, careful to not be noticed by said mech. Her claws gently scraped the concrete slabs; her tail was poised and stiff as to not bump into anything. She was in complete stealth mode.

As she got closer, Echo could hear the shouts of a female human: Miko. The girl was by Bulkhead's side, a pleading look on her face. The black maximal tilted her helm when she further analyzed the situation. Bulkhead was doing something strange with his arms. Echo reached the bottom of the stairs and crept behind the fence on the lip of the arena. When she approached the mech, she saw that he had a broom dipped in paint in his servo. "What in Primus' name is he doing?" she whispered to herself.

"How about our Sunday dune bashings?" Miko cried, her eyes beginning to turn wet, "We listen to Slash Monkey. You remember, don't you?" Echo couldn't help but feel a pang in her spark. The mech doesn't remember? Why? Bulkhead was mumbling something about equations, which made Echo's ears perk up. She raised her optic ridges when she realized what he was doing. _He's reciting the data!_

"Forget the past," Miko said, waving her hands, "We'll make new memories right now!" Echo looked away as coolant formed in her optics.

_"__Can we start over?" _

_Echo lifted an optic ridge before smiling, "I'd love to." _

_The scout held out his servo and said nervously, "Hi, my name is Bumblebee." Echo giggled and shook his servo, "Nice to meet you. I'm Echo." _

Echo sniffed and sat down, defeated. "You're in there somewhere, Bulk," Miko sighed, "I know you always be there for me." The femme's ears drooped and her tail went limp. _He was always there for me…_

_"__Echo, what's going on?" the mech ran over and grasped her shoulders, "What's wrong?" _

_The femme looked away from him, her eyes becoming dark shadows. She pulled the scout's hands away, crossing her arms. Bumblebee tilted her helm to face his, "Please tell me." Echo pulled away from his touch once more as the tears fell, "You're going to hate me for not telling you sooner." _

_"__I will never hate you," the scout cupped Echo's faceplate and looked at her deeply, "No matter what you tell me."_

Echo was ripped from her sorrow when she spotted the two mechs on the other side of the stadium. "Boo-hoo!" Breakdown pretended to cry, smirking at Miko. Echo growled and sprinted from her spot. She followed the edge of the stadium and stopped next to Knock Out. The red mech knelt down and chuckled at the small human girl. "I'm shedding lubricant," Breakdown mocked. Echo flashed her tail and looked to Miko, whom stared at her for a mere second in disbelief. "They're going to steal the formula!" Miko shouted to Bulkhead. The green Autobot immediately stopped what he was doing. The girl and the mech began running out of the pit towards the parking lot entrance.

"It's not like Bulkhead to run from a fight," Echo chuffed and leapt from her spot, landing softly on the sandy ground. Knock Out and Breakdown followed suit. "Lord Megatron," she said through her comm. link, "We're good to go."

The femme gestured with her tail for the mechs to wait for her to scout out the area. "Femmes," knock Out muttered with a roll of his red optics. Echo looked over her shoulder and hissed at him before turning back.

Once she was in the parking lot, the maximal looked around, hoping to spot Miko so that she might get a chance to talk to her. The sound of feet shuffling on asphalt reached the hunter's audio receptors. "Miko," she whispered in an urgent tone. Echo heard a gasp and then the pitter patter of feet stop. "Echo? Is that you?" Miko's hushed voice came. "Yes," the femme sent back, "I need you to kick Bulkhead's head when the Cons try to take it." There was a long silence before the human replied, "Why?"

"If you don't," Echo hissed, "The Cons will get the formula. Now do as I say." The maximal then turned her head about and imitated a bird call. Within moments, the two mechs walked out into the parking lot. "I can't sniff them out," she said, growling. "Alright," Knock Out shrugged, "We'll play their little game."

"I can't wait to rip up that little brat," Breakdown chuckled. Echo internally gasped. _What a monster! _She tip toed between the monster trucks, seemingly looking for the Autobot and his human.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are," the Decepticon medic snickered, making Echo's hackles rise. It was worse enough that she knew he was the medic that took her son from him, but now having he and his partner aim to kill Miko and Bulkhead—whom has become somewhat of an older brother—was too much. Her yellow optics deepened in hatred. _One more comment, and I'll rip his voice box out._

The femme's own comment sent her into a fit of depression. She longed to hear the mech's beeps and chirps sooth her as she woke from one of her nightmares. She longed to hear his sweet buzz as he fell asleep cradling her. She longed to hear his beeps tell her that—

Miko ran out from underneath a car: right behind Knock Out. Echo pretended to cough, catching the mech's attention long enough for Miko to make a bare escape. "Is something wrong?" the medic raised an optic ridge. "Just trying to get this sand out of my system," Echo lied, adding another cough for good measure. The very next second, Knock Out kneeled onto the ground and looked underneath the various cars. Whilst he did so, Echo breathed a sigh of relief, for Miko was now long gone.

Across the way, Breakdown was smashing his hammer into the front bumpers of the monster trucks. "Is that you, Bulk?" he taunted a green car before smashing it down. Echo rolled her optics and gave a huff in annoyance. Her expression soon dropped when Miko ran past the looming Decepticon. _What is she doing?_ The mech started to run after her and tipped over a few cars.

"Breakdown," Echo called out to him as she sat down, "Forget the human." She curled her tail around her paws and looked over and Knock Out, who had an energon scanner in his servo. "Games are only fun when you're winning," he snorted, walking around with the scanner. Echo swallowed hard and got up, flicking her tail about. Knock Out stepped towards the olive green muscle car and smirked, "I'm warm."

Bulkhead transformed and looked at the mech's chest, "En3 divided by the square root of the propulsion factor equals…" Bulkhead used his broom and paint to write out the answer on Knock Out's chestplate. Echo couldn't help but burst into a fit of laughter. "My finish!" Knock Out screamed like a little girl. His reaction only made the femme laugh even harder.

Breakdown ran towards his old foe and punched him square in the jaw. The impact caused the mech to pass out and hit the ground hard. His helm was now resting on the ground in a perfect position for a good kicking. Echo stepped back and looked around for Miko and spotted her underneath a truck. She flicked her tail in the direction of Bulkhead and snorted.

"Heads, you lose," Knock Out chuckled, bringing out his saw. He moved the mech's helm back just enough for him to get the perfect angle for a cut. Miko grabbed a metal pipe next to her and ran for Bulkhead. Echo smiled as the female human knocked into his helm. His optics fluttered open and turned a deep red. "You better duck," Echo said to the Decepticons.

From Bulkhead's optics, two red beams shot into the air: heavenwards. The data was now gone forever. Echo frowned when the mech remained still. She stepped closer as Miko rested a hand against his neck, "Bulkhead?"

"Dead battery," Knock Out grunted, "Megatron will peel our paint for this."

"So we'll have to peel you," Breakdown said as Knock Out summoned his saw. Echo stepped over Miko, snarling bitterly at the two mechs. _I will not let them harm her!_ "Step away from her!" Echo growled. The two raised their optic ridges in shock, but turned around when a groundbridge opened. Optimus, Arcee, and Bumblebee ran out from the bridge, firing out at the Decepticons.

"Let's peel out of here," Knock Out said as he and Breakdown transformed. Echo stopped to glance over her shoulder. Bumblebee's pleading optics seared into hers. They begged her to stop and come with him, but she couldn't. The femme growled and turned away to convert. _I wish I could, but I can't._

Once she was in her alt mode, she sped down the road, hoping the yellow mech wouldn't follow her this time. But such luck did not look upon her. The whirring of the Camaro's engines caught Echo's audio receptors. Maybe I can lose him in these buildings. She used her side mirrors to see how far behind he was. Fortunately, his speed matched her own and he was pretty far behind. _Just stop following me, Bumblebee!_

Echo spotted a road that led into a series of storage units and made a sharp turn. Of course, the mech followed her. The femme tried to shake him off by driving in a random pattern through the complex, but he was able to keep up. Echo noticed that she was slowing down, and that Bumblebee was growing closer and closer.

Eventually, the black car made a turn…straight into a dead end. Echo gasped and transformed in a hurry, trying to climb over the warehouse before Bumblebee caught up to her.

_"__Echo." _

The femme stopped and took a deep breath. _"Echo, you have to listen to me,"_ the scout pleaded his voice shaky and cracked, _"Stop running and come home. We all need you. Raf needs you. __**I need you**__." _

The black fembot flinched as another memory plagued her thoughts.

_"__Excuse me?" Echo lifted an optic ridge, "But I can choose whatever mech I want. I'm not your property. If I were smart, I would leave you right now." _

_Bumblebee's optics fell and he looked at Echo bleakly. "Why haven't you?" he asked, now soft and full of guilt. The black fembot glanced at the mech before turning away from the searing pain in her spark seeing him like this. She pushed away all her anger and hatred. "I need you." _

_The scout's helm tilted when her arms again crossed, ears going flat. She sat on the edge of the berth, huddled in her sorrow. The mech began to walk towards her, only to stop when she flinched. He looked around, thinking about what to say. He sat down next to her, "I need you, too." _

"I can't go back, 'Bee," Echo sniffed, "I don't know how many times I have to say it before you'll listen and believe it." Bumblebee grew angry, _"What exactly do you think you are doing, huh? 'Cause helping us take down that warship ain't it, sweet heart."_ Echo glared at the wall she was currently facing and hissed, "I'm trying to find my family and help restore Cybertron. Is that a good enough reason, skauti?"

Bumblebee tensed up as Echo hopped down and faced him. She glared profoundly into his optics. It was like a thousand knives were thrust into his spark chamber. "_Then why didn't you let me help you?"_ he asked. "There's nothing you can do for me now," Echo said, looking away in guilt. Bumblebee reached over and cupped her cheek, bringing it towards his helm, _"You don't mean that." _

"But what if I do?" she hissed. _"There has to be something I can do to convince you to come with me,"_ Bumblebee choked as a coolant tear trailed down his face. "You all are better off without me," Echo said, "If I had never came into your lives, you—"

Echo slightly gasped as she felt the mech's lips again. He passionately kissed her, one arm around her waist, the other still cupping her cheekplate. The femme hesitated for a moment before kissing him back. They both let their tears flow freely as they fought. Bumblebee's glossa graced Echo's bottom lip, asking her permission to enter. She wrapped her servos around the mech's neck and allowed him to explore her mouth.

Bumblebee buzzed a soft moan, not wanting to part from this. He held onto his Echo tightly, feeling like he could kiss her forever. She ran her servos down his neck and settled on his shoulders, trying to separate them. With a quiet shriek, Echo pulled away and turned around, holding her digits to her lips. Bumblebee blinked a few times in shock before sniffling.

Echo began to shake and pant; feeling like her spark was being ripped from her chest. _Even when I kissed Smokescreen, I never felt like that_. Bumblebee stepped forward to grasp her servo, but stopped. He gave a sob a let his digits fall to his side. _"You have no idea how much you mean to me,"_ he said, looking at her back. His optics glared at the two knobs that were still there.

"Bumblebee," the femme cried, "I can't do this." The mech braced himself and took a step. He brushed his servo down her smooth back, sending a chill up her spine. When he reached the base of her tail, he moved his digits over to grasp onto her hip. With the other servo, he removed the shaky digits from her lips and pulled her up against him. "Bumblebee," she whimpered, "I thought you had died."

The scout shook his helm and snuck his servos around her waist. He sighed as he rested his helm atop hers, _"I'm here….I'm here."_ Echo bit her lip trying to hold everything in. She wanted to jump into his arms and relive the events of that one night: that one night in which they still had their freedom. But, her other side wanted to run and keep running away from the situation. _"Don't go,"_ Bumblebee said, as if he could read her thoughts, _"Please don't leave me again."_

Echo lost it and ripped herself from Bumblebee's passionate embrace. She faced him, optics yellow and fierce. Bumblebee cringed and looked at her with rejected, spark broken optics. He walked towards her, but was stopped when she hissed at him. "No," she snapped and then whimpered for a second. Then she resumed her angry look and continued, "I will not lower my defenses just so you can arrest me and turn me over to Optimus!"

_"__Echo, that's not what I was doing,"_ he said, taking another step. "Don't!" she growled. _"Echo, please, please!"_ Bumblebee chirped. Echo shook her helm and stepped away, activating her comm. link, "Soundwave, I need a groundbridge." Bumblebee glared as the said groundbridge opened a few yards away. Echo made a run for it, but he jumped to intercept her. He tackled her to the ground and tried to pin her arms behind her. A blast from the portal sent the scout spiraling backwards into a storage unit. Echo got up and looked to the source. "You can thank me later," the mech said. The femme gasped when she recognized him, yet followed as he jumped back into the groundbridge. Just before she went through, Echo looked back at the scout, who had fresh coolant down his faceplates.

"I'm sorry," she whispered as she jumped through.

* * *

><p><strong>an: Alright, so this chapter really dug into the angst. **

**Note that—besides the scenes in which Bumblebee tries to go after Echo—Bumblebee and Echo haven't really seen each other in months. So, Echo has been a rogue Autobot and working for the Cons for awhile. **

**'****Bee had woken up from a coma-injury-thing and discovered that Echo had run from base. Then, on top of that, she joins the Decepticon ranks out of nowhere. Echo, on the other hand, had last seen him when his spark stopped beating. Right before that, she had brutally murdered a Con, so she tries to stay as far away from the mech as possible so she doesn't hurt him. **

**Main idea: Echo has been running from reality for months and it has finally caught up to her. **

**Hopefully this helped to clear things up a bit. Yes, she will be going back for her vendetta, but right now, she is so vulnerable that she cannot fight Bumblebee's attempts at bringing her back. **

** Valkyrie 497: Yeah, sorry I had just finished watching the scene from Transformers—ugh, spoiler warning—when Bumblebee gets captured and later loses his legs, and then the scene from Revenge of the Fallen when Sam dies briefly. That and having a ton of social crap happening inspired me to write these heart-felt chapters.**

* * *

><p><strong>Until next time,<strong>

**-E **


	21. Symbols and Siblings

**Chapter Twenty-One: Symbols and Siblings**

_Why do I have to stay in here?_ Boomer thought to himself as he silently typed on his data pad in his room. _I get that I'm a bounty hunter, but I could at least help with something._ The young mech rolled his red optics and tapped a couple digits against the frame of the device. _Maybe I should have stayed out in space._ He tried his hardest to not look at the chrono; else he would make the boredom worse.

To numb the insanity of the dullness, Boomer accessed the security footage. Of course, the warship had a simple code to crack—at least for the young Autobot killer. Megatron couldn't keep his technical skills from breaking it. His optics moved across the screen as he inspected the various cameras. _Nothing interesting as usual…_Boomer's optic ridge raised significantly when he brought up the footage of the data center. _Who the frag is that? _

Boomer frowned when he spotted the black femme. _She looks so familiar…why?_ The mech paused the video and hit the button to zoom in. _Okay, she has yellow optics…a tail…and…_ Boomer immediately turned off the data pad and looked around frantically.

* * *

><p>Echo stood patiently as she, Breakdown, and Knock Out waited for Megatron to return from his flight. Her spark beat fast as she felt the optics of the mech bare down on her. <em>How did he get here?<em> Echo took a peek of the dark green armor. His crimson optics were looking straight ahead now as if she were not there. _He does remember me, right?_

Soundwave opened the groundbridge and the looming figure of the silver mech came through. "You tell him," Knock Out whispered and nudged Echo. She hissed under her breath and looked up at the gladiator. "Lord Megatron," she dipped her helm, "We failed to acquire the data." Megatron raised an optic ridge, "And what of the Autobots?"

"The data was shot heavenwards, my lord," Echo said, "The Autobots have nothing." The silver mech nodded and gave the two behind her a grim stare. They shivered and looked away, fearful of facing their master's wrath. Before turning to his commander, Megatron looked at the green mech and gave him an approving nod, "I see your trip was short, lieutenant."

_Lieutenant?_ Echo thought, raising an optic ridge. _So he did have favors with Megatron_. The mech nodded, "Yes, my Lord. I was not too far away. I had just reached the planet known as Jupiter by the time I received your call." Megatron smirked, "Good. I desperately need your help in eradicating the Autobots." Echo barely flinched at the thought. Her optics looked around frantically as a shiver went down her spine. _What have I done?_

"Sonus," Megatron said, "Report to the medical bay. It is time that you get your Decepticon insignia." Echo swallowed hard and nodded, though putting on a poker face, "Yes, my lord." _What have I done?_

* * *

><p>Bumblebee walked through the groundbridge and sighed deeply. He looked over to where Ratchet was hooking Bulkhead up to a processor scan. "Bumblebee, are you alright?" came a mech voice. The scout turned sharply to see Silverwing raising an optic ridge at him. "No," Bumblebee buzzed, "I don't think I can bring her back." The silver mech vented and clasped a servo on the younger Autobot's shoulder, "Listen, Echo isn't doing what you think. I can tell that you really care about her, correct?"<p>

"She means everything to me," the yellow bot nodded. "Then if you care about her so much," Silverwing said firmly, "You'll let her go. If she comes back to you, she was always yours." Bumblebee looked around for a moment before looking back up at the mech, "Thank you."

"No problem," Silverwing gave a warm smile, "Echo is lucky to have a mech like you to protect her." As Silverwing walked away, Bumblebee clenched his fists and glared at his peddes. _And that's exactly what I'll do._

* * *

><p>Boomer stuck his helm out of his room. <em>Yay, no guards for once<em>. He took one step outside and looked from left to right. _All clear… _The young Decepticon began walking down the dark hallway, hoping that he would not run into any Cons along the way. _All I need to do is go to the med bay and ask Knock Out if this is possible. _The blue bot tensed up with nervousness. His red optics looked about frantically, as if each shadow had a demon crawling within it. _I've only seen that symbol on one bot. _

The mech's doorwings clamped together and drooped. _He told me she died…_Boomer frowned and clenched his fists, a growl erupting from his throat. _Knock Out told me to forget her…_The doors to the medbay stood before the young bot. _Here goes nothing…_

The doors opened and Boomer almost jumped. He froze as the black femme looked over at him, optics red and dark. _It can't be…_

* * *

><p>Echo turned her helm as the medbay doors opened. There stood a young mech. His optics were a bright red; his armor a denim blue with a black and a red stripe going down his front; his father's optics searing into hers. The femme narrowed her optics and stared him down. The mech stood there, terrified.<p>

"Uh," Knock Out looked frantically between the two, "Boomer, you're supposed to be in your room." Boomer broke the eye contact and looked to the Decepticon medic. "I need to speak to you about something," he said. "It'll have to wait for now, kid," the medic grumbled.

Echo continued to glare at him, her expression unknown. _What do I do? What do I say? _She stifled a growl as her red optics flickered to look at Boomer's shoulder. _That symbol!_ Her frown dropped and her optics widened. She took in a deep breath before putting on a calm face. Knock Out felt the tension in the room and cleared his throat, "This is Soundblast. But—"

"Call me Boomer," the young mech said. Echo blinked her optics at him and gave a crisp nod. "And you are?" Boomer asked, raising an optic ridge. The femme got off the berth and stood tall. Boomer was a good two helms shorter than her. _He's so young! _

"I'll leave the two of you to talk," she said. Knock Out raised an optic ridge but all the same gestured for her to go. Giving Boomer one last glance, Echo flicked her tail and headed for the door, an angry look in her optics. _They will pay for taking my boy from me._

* * *

><p>Echo stepped into the bridge, not surprised to see the green mech standing next to Megatron. "Ah, Sonus," the silver Decepticon said, turning to the femme. The other bot did the same, giving her a threatening glare.<p>

"Now that you are officially one of us," Megatron smirked, "I wish to reunite you and Maximus." Echo swallowed hard and her lip began to quiver. The green mech took a step and fully faced her. She gazed up at him, he being just a tad bit under Megatron's height. "Echo," he growled. The femme narrowed her optics and snarled, "Brother."

* * *

><p><em>Echo sped off, but in the background, she could hear a second engine behind her…and it was catching up fast. "Echo, wait," the scout called out. The femme slowly came to a stop in the middle of the abandoned road. She transformed into a bi-pedal and looked over to see Bumblebee doing the same. "Come back to base with us," he pleaded, "With me." Echo sighed and closed her optics for a few seconds. <em>

_When she opened them, the mech was moving in to tilt her helm up towards his. "'Bee," she exhaled, "I need to finish this on my own." Bumblebee shook his helm and traced a digit down her jawline, "Please come back with me." The femme gave a shaky breath and gently pulled away his servos. "I can't go back there," she gazed deeply into his blue orbs, "Not after all I have done. I'm a monster and you should stay away from me." _

_"__Is this because we interfaced?" he asked, coolant forming in his optics. "No," Echo frowned, "It's because I'm unpredictable. I can't control this angry monster inside of me. For your safety, please, stop trying to save something that has been long lost." Bumblebee cupped her cheekplates and pressed his helm to hers, "I'd rather die trying than sit by and watch you suffer." _

_Echo felt that craving again. She wanted to cry in his arms and be whisked off back to base where he would tuck her in and whisper to her as she fell asleep. She wanted to have him there, sleeping at her side again. She wanted to bury her face in his chest and feel the rush having him so close gave her. She wanted to race with him til their tires gave out; to pull pranks on Ratchet and get chased around the base with a wrench; to look up at the stars in the night sky and make the same wish they always did. _

_The femme must have given out, for now she was curled up in the mech's servos as he carried her. "I can't go back," she whimpered to him, feeling tears go down her cheekplates. "Just for tonight, okay?" the mech whispered, nuzzling her helm. He pulled her close and smiled when he felt her arms wrap around his neck. _

_I've wanted this for so long…_

* * *

><p><em>Echo's optics opened and she sleepily looked around. This doesn't look like my room on the Nemesis. She was about to get up when she felt the servo around her waist shift. Echo slowly glanced down and had no idea what to think of the yellow and black servo. Is this really happening? The femme turned her helm just enough so that she could peek at the sleeping scout. When she heard the familiar whirr of his engines, she smiled and relaxed. But, she couldn't help but think about the dream. What do all these fragging visions mean?<em>

_For a moment, the femme forgot that the mech was sleeping peacefully and shifted abruptly in her anger. Bumblebee woke up slowly, obviously exhausted. When the femme turned to get a better look of him, he looked like he hadn't gotten any recharge at all. "Hey," he said, touching the tips of his digits to her cheekplate, "Are you okay?" _

_Echo stared at him for a moment before shaking her helm, "No, I'm not." Bumblebee propped himself onto his elbow and leaned towards the femme, cupping the side of her face. "What's wrong?" he whispered. His sweet and pure optics made Echo want to cry all over again. How could I hurt a mech like him? What have I done to this poor, innocent mech? "I can't stay here," she whispered back. _

_"__Echo, please," Bumblebee tilted her helm towards his, "Stay with me. I know we can work this out together." Echo placed a servo on his chest, trying her hardest to not break down. "Bumblebee," she sighed, "I have something to tell you. And you're not going to like it." Bumblebee nodded, "It's okay. I'll listen. I won't judge." Echo had to look away from him if she truly wanted to tell him. _

_"__I…I," she started, unable to get the words out. Bumblebee brushed his digits over the femme's cheekplate, encouraging her. "I have a son," she breathed out, closing her optics. When she felt the mech's servos pull away, she flinched. Echo refused to open her optics, yet she began to sob. "I'm sorry," she cried, "I know you hate me, but I—" _

_She was interrupted when the scout's lips gently pecked hers. "I don't hate you," Bumblebee said firmly, as if in an argument, "You mean everything to me." Echo opened her eyes and gazed up at the stern optics. "You're not mad?" she asked. The mech looked around the room, trying to explain. Realization appeared on the femme's faceplates, "You already knew, didn't you?" _

Echo sat up sharply. Her chest heaved as she panted. "I swear, these dreams are going to be the death of me," she hissed. A shiver traveled down her spine, causing her to cross her servos and curl her tail around her. Oddly enough, she didn't feel like crying…for once. Her mind kept pecking at her, telling her of her madness. _You need to go back!_ But the demons kept pecking at her, telling her of her victory. _Never! You can destroy Megatron so easily! You have the power! _

The femme blinked her yellow optics and bit her lip with a fang.

"You have to tell Bumblebee what's going on," the angel on her shoulder said, "You must go back."

"No," the demon said, "You must stay and finish your mission. The only thing that matters is getting Max and your son to join you. The scout can wait."

"But he was so pained," Echo said, frantically looking around the room. "So what?" the demon shrugged, "He hurt you more than he could imagine. Why not return the pain?" The angel scoffed, "Because he picked you up when you were down."

"He doesn't want to be a father," the devil chuffed, "He wouldn't accept your son."

"He was scared," the angel patted Echo's shoulder as she sat down; "He didn't want to disappoint you or be a terrible sire. There's no sin in that." The demon flashed her tail and cackled, "He was selfish. He was open to a hook up, but when the consequences came with it, he ran off. He left you to fend for yourself. Because of him, you are here now, fighting for your innocence."

Echo looked around the room. _How could I be so confused? I love Bumblebee, and nothing will change that!_ "You have a sparkmate," the demon said, "What would he say if he found out you have been sleeping with another mech?" The black femme looked down at her peddes in shame. _How could I explain this to Smokescreen?_

"Smokescreen may not be alive anymore," the angel said, "Plus, he can't blame you for finding another. Maybe you were always meant to be with Bumblebee?"

Echo stiffened at this thought.

* * *

><p><em>"<em>_Why does she keep running?"_ Bumblebee beeped in annoyance. His doorwings were angrily low. His threatening glare pierced into Bluespark. She flinched at first, but then sighed. "Bumblebee," she said, "Echo is going through a tough time right now." The mech's glare intensified, _"I know that! And I would be able to help her if she just told me! But no, she has to go join the Decepticons."_ The blue femme narrowed her optics at the scout. "Echo is not a Decepticon," she said.

Bluespark walked over and sat down on the medical berth, sighing heavily. "She is looking for someone," Blue blurted out. Bumblebee tilted his helm and raised an optic ridge. "Our brother, Max," a hurt expression flashed across the femme's faceplates, "Turned to the Decepticons stellar cycles ago, but now we need him to complete the prophecy."

"The only way she could contact him without causing a fragging mess would be to hail him as a Decepticon," Bluespark said. _"And what is her plan from there?"_ Bumblebee asked. "Probably to capture him and bring him here," the blue Autobot said with a shrug. _"What?"_ Bumblebee narrowed his optics, confused.

Two motorcycles zoomed in through the tunnel. The Autobots looked over to see the silver and black Autobots transform. "Told you I was faster," Cassy said. Donovan growled at her and his fur rose, "You are not! That turn around back there was cheating!" Bumblebee felt a pang in his spark, as the confrontation reminded him of when he and Echo used to race.

"Bumblebee."

The mech turned and sighed, _"Sorry, Blue. I just can't do this anymore. All this running and chasing after her…it's starting to really wear down on me. I mean, I haven't seen her truly in months and it's starting to kill me."_

"Don't despair," Bluespark half smiled, "Echo will come back. Right now she is out saving the day as usual." Bumblebee nodded grimly and sat down on the concrete floor, _"I just hope she hurries up before she gets herself into more trouble."_

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><p><em>3 weeks later…<em>

"So, you finally saw the light," Max said as he and the black femme walked throughout the halls of the Nemesis. "You could say it that way," Echo hissed, flashing her tail. I do not like this one bit. "Come now," the mech huffed, "Let's not restart an old feud."

"You can take that sentiment and shove it up your aft, Max," Echo growled, narrowing her optics at him. Max held up his servos in mock defense, "Okay, I guess I deserved that, but still…let's try and get along after all these years."

"All I want to do is get this stupid mission over with so we can part ways," the femme snapped, looking away from her younger brother. "If that's what you want," Max raised an optic ridge and frowned slightly. "No," Echo sighed, "But you leave me with no other choice, brother."

The green mech narrowed his optics in confusion for a split second before looking straight ahead once more. "Who is this scout I've heard Megatron mention before?" Max asked. Echo cringed and growled, "One of the Autobots that I previously…worked with." Her brother seemed unconvinced and smirked, "Sure."

"Soundwave, we're ready to go," Echo said as she scowled at Max. Seconds later, the groundbridge opened and the two stepped through. "Please don't make a mess of things," the femme said as they found themselves in a Decepticon mine. Most of the energon was collected into wheelbarrows. The labor class was walking about, using lasers to remove the remaining energon crystals.

Max gave a whistle and beamed at the sight. "Nice operation you all have going," he said, "Much better than working in the communications center for the past three weeks." Echo ignored his comments and started making her way through a tunnel. Something felt odd about the place. The femme left the mech behind to gaze in awe at the mine and headed towards a more abandoned part of the mine.

The series of tunnels lead to a massive cave that was now stripped of its energon abundance. Echo snorted and looked around. On the other side, there was an opening that led outside at the base of a mountain. In the distance, Echo could see and red and white vehicle making its way towards the cave.

"Ratchet?" the femme raised an optic ridge before frowning. _Do I run or what?_ The mech came closer and closer. Echo wanted to run and pretend like she hadn't seen him, but at the same time she felt an odd vibe coming from her mentor.

As soon as Ratchet reached the mouth of the cave, he transformed and leapt for the femme. Her optics widened and she somersaulted. She got up and took a look at the mech, who had crashed to the ground. He quickly stood up and glared at Echo. The femme gasped when she saw his green optics. "Ratchet, what have you done?" she asked with wide optics.

"First," he smirked, "I'm arresting you." Ratchet ran for Echo, but she braced herself by bringing up her fists, "Oh I don't think so."

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><p><strong>an: Thanks again for reading! This chapter is kinda all over the place, but will help the plot in the long run :) Hopefully you all are enjoying this series. I want to thank you for your continued support! I have no idea how many chapters this book will have, but we'll find out ;) **

** Valkyrie 497: XD Patience! The end is near, I promise. Yep, that's the whole point of suspense…ya don't know when it's gonna drop. And trust me, it's going to drop with a bang.**

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><p><strong>Until next time,<strong>

**-E **


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